Kolkata, July 2 (IANS) A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Wednesday directed all concerned parties to file affidavits in Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj case, who had filed a petition seeking cancellation of the FIR registered against him on charges of raping a woman for six months in 2013.

As the matter came up for hearing at the single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta, the state government counsel sought more time to present his argument and also assured the court that the police would not adopt any coercive action against Kartik Maharaj.

The single-judge bench accepted the submission of the state government counsel. The matter will come for hearing again on Thursday in the second half, and in all probability, the process of hearing in the matter on Thursday will be in camera.

Although the alleged rape and forceful abortion of the victim reportedly took place between January and June of 2013, the complaint in the matter was launched last week only, the timing of which coincided with the on-going stir in the state over the rape of a law student.

Nabagram Police Station, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Murshidabad District Police, sent a notice to Kartik Maharaj to be present at the said police station on July 1 for interrogation.

However, he approached Justice Sengupta’s bench seeking cancellation of the FIR registered against him seeking cancellation of the FIR registered against him in the matter instead of appearing at the police station.

In his petition, it has claimed that the cops registered the FIR in the matter after conducting a preliminary investigation, and that too based on a complaint made by a woman on an alleged event that took place 13 years back.

Kartik Maharaj, who had since the beginning denied the allegations, claimed that the police actions were merely intended to harass a monk like him.

–IANS

src/dan