Todi counsel: Media ‘poisoning minds’

Kolkata, March 20 Businessman Ashok Todi’s counsel Pradip Ghosh on Thursday accused the media of influencing popular sentiment against his client after the unnatural death of graphic designer Rizwanur Rehman. A few weeks before his death, Rizwanur had married Todi’s daughter Priyanka. In his plea, Todi said the court and legal experts too were influenced by the media. Ghosh further argued that the “media had poisoned the entire society and turned it against the Todi family while covering Rizwanur Rehman’s death”.

Ghosh did not spare the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) either, accusing the investigating agency of following “leads” set by the media. He pointed out the CBI should have handed over a copy of the FIR to Todi after registering it in the criminal court at Delhi. Had this happened, Todi could have moved the magistrate, challenging the FIR and appealing for it to be quashed.

Ghosh also argued that Rizwanur’s mother and brother Rukbanur should have moved the criminal court and not the Calcutta High Court. He said a case pertaining to an unnatural death should be heard by a criminal court. Ghosh will continue his submission next Tuesday. After the case was handed over to the CBI, the investigating agency took two months to place its findings before the High Court — on January 8. Justice Dipankar Dutta, reading out parts of the report on February 28, had disclosed the agency recommended a chargesheet against Todi for “abetting suicide”.

On the other hand, the state’s counsel Advocate-General Bolai Roy also concluded his submission urging the High Court to reject the CBI report. There is a contention that a case of “unnatural death” should not have been handed to an investigating agency like the CBI, when there is nothing to suggest that it was “murder”. In this view, Roy has also asked the court to dismiss the Rehmans’ writ petition.