West Bengal gang rape: Supreme Court orders probe into 'disturbing' case 24 January 2014 Last updated at 06:56 India's Supreme Court has ordered a judge to investigate the gang rape of a tribal woman, allegedly on orders of village elders who objected to her relationship with a man. Describing the case as "disturbing," the court ordered the district judge of Birbhum in West Bengal state to visit the village and submit a report. Thirteen men, including the village headman, have been arrested. The 20-year-old woman is in hospital. Her condition is reported to be stable. Village 'justice' July 2012: Asara village in Uttar Pradesh state bans love marriages and bars women under 40 from shopping alone, using mobile phones outside, and orders them to cover their heads when outdoors May 2011: Eight people arrested in Uttar Pradesh for stoning to death a young couple who had a love affair September 2010: A Dalit (formerly "untouchable") woman in Madhya Pradesh is ordered to pay 15,000 rupees ($330) compensation to the high-caste owners of a dog for feeding their pet. The owners say the dog became "untouchable" August 2010: Village elders in West Bengal order a woman to walk naked in front of large crowds for having "an illicit love affair with a man from a different community" June 2009: A Muslim woman and her Hindu husband kill themselves after the local village council orders them to annul their marriage or face death But violence and discrimination against women remain deeply entrenched. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam and comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and MY Eqbal, expressed shock over the incident on Friday. The judges have set 31 January as the date for hearing the case. On Thursday, West Bengal police said the woman belonging to the Santhal tribal group was gang-raped on Monday night for her relationship with a non-tribal man from a nearby village in Birbhum district. The couple, who were in a relationship for almost five years, were caught on Monday when the man visited the woman's home with the proposal of marriage. During the 'proceedings' of the kangaroo court, the couple were made to sit with hands tied. The man and the woman were each fined 25,000 rupees ($400; £240) for "the crime of falling in love." The man paid up, but the woman's family were unable to pay, after which the headman, a distant relative of the woman, allegedly ordered the rape. The suspects were produced in court on Thursday and remanded in custody. They have not yet made any public comment. Clan-based village councils made up of local elders wield great influence over life in large swathes of rural India and often mete out punishments for offences deemed to contravene local traditions and mores. The incident has led to outrage in India with some describing it as "inhuman and completely outrageous" and many calling for a quick trial and punishment for the rapists. On Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered the removal of the district police chief.