SOUMYAJIT RAHA

SOUMYAJIT RAHA passed his LLB from Surendra Nath Law College under the University of Calcutta in the year 2002. He has also done his LLM in Criminal and Security Law from the Jagannath University, Jaipur, Rajasthan. He has also done Advanced Diploma in Cyber Security & Data Protection Laws from NALSAR University. After enrolment he took up practising as an Advocate in criminal, matrimonial and civil matters and subsequently expertising in trials especially pertaining to economic offences, cyber crimes narcotics and homicide matters for the last 22 years. He has been one of the first lawyers to lodge complaints on behalf of his client relating to cyber crimes and has even conducted the first cyber crime trial in the State as a Defence Lawyer. He has been the defence counsel in most of the sensational criminal matters in the State including the Home Trade, Sarada and Rose Valley Scam. He has dealt with the cases of many important political dignitaries and celebrities. Other than being a defence trial lawyer Advocate Raha has also dealt with Prosecution matters related to Fake Indian Currency Note, POCSO Act and Homicide cases as Special Public Prosecutor of CID, West Bengal as well as the Special Public Prosecutor, Government of West Bengal, Special Public Prosecutor, Bank Fraud Section, Lalbazar, Kolkata Police and Anti-Fraud Section, Lalbazar, Kolkata Police as well of Cyber Crimes under Bidhannagar City Police. He has been the Special Public Prosecutor of the sensational serial rape-murder cases of Purba Bardhaman; in the first of the series of cases Advocate Raha had secured a death penalty for the accused on 06th July, 2020 which was subsequently converted to life imprisonment by the Hon’ble High Court, Calcutta. He has also been appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor of Special Task Force, West Bengal for NDPS matters. Other than being an Advocate by profession, Advocate Soumyajit Raha had always a passion for teaching and to that effect he has been a Guest Faculty with the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Snehangshu Kanta Acharya Institute of Law (Kalyani Universty), Sister Nivedita University, Brainware University, Swami Vivekananda State Police Academy West Bengal etc. In the recent past he has been actively involved in propagating Mediation, Child Rights and use of Artificial Intelligence in Criminal Justice System. He has also been as resource person/guest speaker at Sister Nivedita University(Kolkata), JIS University, Merchant Chamber of Commerce & Industries, CUTS International, ISACA, CID West Bengal, Cyber Forensic Lab(C.I.D., West Bengal), Directorate of Economic Offences(Government of West Bengal), Ramkrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidhyabhavan, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Bidhannagar City Police, Baruipur Police District, Barrackpore Police Commissionerate, Special Task Force(West Bengal), Training programmes for Public Prosecutors and police persons, Cyber Security Centre of Excellence(CS-CoE), WEBEL Education, seminars and conclaves held at WBNUJS, talk shows in Television Channels and many other organisations.

Education, Enrolment & Memberships

· L.L.B. (Bachelor of Laws) University of  Calcutta,2002.

· Enrolled as an Advocate on 10.04.2002 with the Bar Council of West Bengal (Statutory Body under the Advocates Act, 1961). 

· Member of the Bar Association, High Court, Calcutta.

· Member of District Bar Association, Barasat, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India.

· Member of Barrackpore Bar Association, West Bengal, India.

· Member of Bidhannagar Bar Association, Mayukh Bhavan, Salt Lake City, West Bengal, India.

Professional Experience

· 22 years of experience in litigation esp. Trials including Criminal, Civil, Quasi Civil. 

· Matrimonial and Family matters.

· Information Technology laws and cyber & telecommunication crime, Intellectual Property matters.

· Handling Criminal Trials of Criminal Investigation Department, Government of West Bengal as Special Public Prosecutor.

· Empanelled Lawyer of The Calcutta Tramways Company (1978) Limited (A Government of West Bengal Undertaking).

· Legal Advisor/Retainer to various Corporate, Commercial, Non-Government and Academic Organisations.

· Previously attached as Retainer to Bidhannagar Municipality, West Bengal, India.

· Previously attached as empanelled lawyer of Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Government of West Bengal, Sports & Youth Services Department (Sport Wing).