Today, On 23rd August, The Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation into financial irregularities at RG Kar Hospital during Sandip Ghosh’s tenure from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the CBI. The court decided that the case required a more thorough probe by the central agency to ensure a fair and impartial investigation.
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court, On Friday, transferred the investigation into the alleged financial irregularities, money trail, and corruption at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, during Sandip Ghosh’s tenure as principal, from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal government to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The court emphasized that having multiple agencies investigate the same matter could result in delays and inefficiencies.
The order stated,
“This court directs the investigation be transferred to CBI as multiple investigations will lead to injustice… the investigation should not be fragmented to different agencies. SIT is directed to hand over the case diary and CCTV footage to CBI by 10 AM tomorrow.”
A day earlier, the Calcutta High Court questioned the West Bengal government regarding the delay in forming the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The state government constituted the SIT on August 20, nearly a year after the allegations of financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital first came to light.
Earlier today, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Calcutta High Court challenging the Bengal government‘s decision to form the SIT for probing the alleged financial misconduct at the institution. The PIL, filed by advocate Madhurima Basu and represented by advocate and BJP leader Susmita Saha Dutt, raised concerns over the SIT’s composition, alleging that it included officers who were potentially implicated in the scam.
The petition further expressed concerns that the evidence could be tampered with if the investigation was conducted by the SIT. It called for the investigation to be handed over to a central agency, such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and also requested the seizure of all bank accounts belonging to the former principal, Sandip Ghosh.
Akhtar Ali, the former deputy superintendent of the state-run medical college, earlier sought an ED investigation into the alleged corruption during Ghosh’s tenure. Ali claimed that he reported Ghosh’s involvement in financial irregularities to state authorities in 2023, but no significant action was taken until recently.
During the hearing, Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj questioned the state government on why it took nearly a year to form the SIT after the allegations were initially reported. Ghosh removed from his position as principal following the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the hospital on August 9 this year.
Ali also accused Ghosh of involvement in various scams, including the mishandling of biomedical waste, illegal handling of dead bodies, bribery in student exams, awarding unnecessary tenders, and operating unauthorized kiosks on hospital grounds.
In a recent development, the CBI obtained the court’s approval to conduct polygraph tests on Ghosh and four other doctors who were on duty on the day the trainee doctor was raped and murdered.