The Kolkata doctor rape-murder case that has sparked mass protests has reached the Supreme Court. While hearing the matter, a bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra bashed former RG Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh, rapped the West Bengal government over discrepancies in initial action, and expressed concerns over the safety of women doctors.
The Supreme Court came down heavily on RG Kar Hospital authorities and asked, “What was the principal doing? Why did he pass it as a suicide? Why was the FIR not being registered till late night?”
“The brutality of the sexual assault has shocked the conscience. Parents were permitted to see the dead body after several hours, the high court transferred the investigations to CBI on the eve of Independence Day. Soon after, a large mob vandalised the hospital. We are unable to comprehend how the state was not able to handle the issue of vandalism at the hospital,” the court said, questioning the role of police and state government in handling the RG Kar vandalism incident.
Supreme Court’s observations
The Supreme Court raised doubts over the vandalism in Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital and the attempts to alter the crime scene late last Thursday. “The next day, doctors were protesting. A mob entered the hospital where the crime scene was. What was the police doing?” the court asked.
The top court also said, “It’s painful to see that the girl’s identity is all over social media. It is extremely concerning.” “On 9 Aug 2024, a young doctor was raped and murdered inside the RG Kar Medical College, the name and images of the victim have floated on social media,” the CJI said.
The court questioned the Bengal government’s improper initial actions and asked, “After the principal (Sandip Ghosh) resigned from here, he was assigned as principal in some other college. That too when his conduct is in question?”
After the senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was appearing for the state informed the court that the deceased doctor’s father was the first to file an FIR in the case at 11.45 pm on August 9, the court questioned the hospital authorities’ sluggish response.
Solicitor General Mehta sought to change the top police official of the state. CJI Chandrachud said, “Let the power of the state of West Bengal not unleash on the protesters.”
The court said that the nation cannot wait for another such incident to see a change in circumstances. It ordered the constitution of a task force to look into the matter, which will include central government officials, too.
The court has asked the committee to submit an interim report in three weeks, directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit a status report by August 22, and asked the West Bengal government to submit a status report on the overall probe into the vandalism incident by August 22.
Suo motu cognisance
The Supreme Court had, on Monday, taken suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of a doctor in state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal.
The body of the post-graduate trainee doctor was found in the RG Kar Hospital’s seminar room on August 9. The Kolkata Police arrested a civic volunteer the next day in this connection.
Calcutta High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the investigation, after expressing a lack of satisfaction with the Kolkata Police.
On Friday, two lawyers practising in the Supreme Court and a doctor from Telangana wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud urging him to take auto moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Advocates Ujjawal Gaur and Rohit Pandey wrote the letter to the CJI saying to take suo moto cognizance of the incident, for it is the need of the hour that the highest court of the land intervenes with the urgency and gravity that this situation demands.
“The nation looks to the judiciary as the ultimate guardian of justice, the last refuge for those whose cries have been silenced by brutality. The victim in this case, a young doctor whose life was dedicated to serving others, deserves nothing less than the full measure of justice that our legal system can provide. Her death must not be in vain, it must galvanise us to act, to ensure that no other woman suffers such a fate,” stated the letter.
It further stated that the time has come for the judiciary to send a clear and resounding message that such heinous crimes will not be tolerated, and the sanctity of life and the dignity of women must be fiercely protected by the full might of the law.
“This case is not merely a bizarre violation of an innocent life, it is an assault on the very soul of our nation, an egregious affront to the ideals of justice and humanity that our great Constitution upholds,” it added.
Another letter petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking immediate intervention following a series of incidents of attacks on medical professionals, particularly the incident at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
Another letter petition by Dr Monica Singh, from the Army College of Dental Sciences from Secunderabad, Telangana, through her advocate Satyam Singh, sought immediate intervention following a series of incidents of attacks on medical professionals, particularly the incident of Kolkata.
It highlighted the rape and murder of the PG doctor at a Kolkata medical college on August 9, 2024, and subsequent attacks on the RG Kar Medical College on August 14.
“The attacks have severely disrupted hospital operations and created an atmosphere of fear among medical staff. There must be immediate deployment of Central Forces to protect RG Kar Medical College and its staff,” the letter said.
Through the letter Singh sought a thorough and impartial investigation into the attacks, as well as comprehensive security measures for medical institutions across the country.
Singh has also requested the Supreme Court to take suo moto cognizance of the case and sought an order for deployment of Central Forces to protect RG Kar Medical College.
On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, which has led to nationwide strikes and civil societies and doctors across States protested against the incident and demanded severe punishment to the accused persons and sought safety and security for themselves.
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