In a significant development, the district court of North Dinajpur district in West Bengal has remanded Tejemul, alias JCB, a local leader of the Trinamool Congress, to five days of police custody.
The highly publicized case of assaulting a woman in Chopra, which sparked outrage after a viral video, has accused Tejemul as the prime suspect.
Authorities apprehended Tejemul on Sunday evening and subsequently presented him before the district court for a hearing.
The prosecution sought a 10-day police custody for the accused, citing the seriousness of the charges against him.
However, following a detailed hearing, the court decided to grant five days of police custody to Tejemul.
The case against him has registered several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including both non-bailable and bailable offenses.
According to district police sources, the charges include Section 354 (punishment for assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and Section 307 (punishment for attempt to murder), both of which are non-bailable.
Additionally, Tejemul faces charges under Section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), Section 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt), and Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), which are bailable.
The district police registered the suo motu case on Sunday immediately after the video of the incident surfaced, prompting swift action against the accused.
The legal proceedings have been conducted under existing laws as the new criminal statutes were not yet in effect at the time of registration.
