Overview

• A division bench of Justices Sujoy Paul and Smita Das De declined to impose a blanket ban on the August 9 rally, emphasising protesters’ constitutional right to assemble peacefully under reasonable restrictions.
• West Bengal Police and Kolkata officers designated Santragachi Bus Stand and Rani Rashmoni Avenue for demonstrations and warned that any unauthorized march toward Nabanna would invite legal action.
• Abhaya’s parents, backed by student groups and opposition supporters, have launched week-long protests culminating in the state-secretariat march to press for answers in their daughter’s rape-murder case.
• The CBI, which submitted its fifth status report last month, continues to probe an alleged wider conspiracy, even as the victim’s parents accuse the agency of threatening to withdraw when pressed on its progress.
• Several related legal battles remain pending, including the convict Sanjay Roy’s appeal for acquittal, CBI and state government pleas seeking harsher penalties, and trials over evidence tampering and corruption at RG Kar Medical College.