Calcutta High Court Today (Mar 24) questions CBI over key gaps in the RG Kar doctor rape-murder probe. Victim’s family demands fresh investigation as new facts may point to more accused.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court today told the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to give clear answers about important points in their investigation of a serious case. This case is about the rape and murder of a junior doctor from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
This sad incident happened in August 2024 and created shock and anger across the country.
The hearing took place after the doctor’s parents filed a request in court. They want a fresh and proper investigation into what really happened to their daughter. They believe that not all the facts have come out yet and they want full justice.
Justice Tirthanker Ghosh, who was listening to the matter, asked the CBI to provide answers to some very specific questions on the next date of the hearing.
These are the questions the judge asked:
“Whether the language of the charge indicated a case of a single accused or gang rape.”
“Whether CBI ever considered invoking Section 70 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), particularly if multiple suspects were involved.”
The CBI has already filed the first chargesheet in the case, but the Court asked what is the progress of the further investigation and when the second chargesheet will be filed. The Court also made one thing clear — it will only look at case diaries for now, and not any formal report.
It is important to remember that the Calcutta High Court had already ordered the CBI to take over the investigation and look into the case as a top priority. This order was given back in August 2024, after the incident took place.
The junior doctor, who was only 31 years old, was found dead inside the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Her death shocked the whole country and led to protests and public anger. This also caused the principal of the college, Dr Sandip Ghosh, to step down from his post.
Later, on August 13, 2024, the Calcutta High Court officially handed over the case to the CBI for a more detailed and independent probe.
Then, on September 2, 2024, Dr Sandip Ghosh was arrested by the CBI. This happened after the High Court, on August 23, 2024, told the agency to also look into financial irregularities and how important pieces of evidence were handled in this rape case. The CBI had found some serious lapses and mismanagement in the earlier investigation by local authorities.
On August 13, 2024, the Court transferred the probe in the matter to the CBI.
Dr Ghosh was later granted bail by a Kolkata court on December 13, 2024. This happened because the CBI could not file the chargesheet within the required 90-day period.
In January 2025, the trial court finally found the main accused, Sanjay Roy, guilty. He was convicted for both rape and murder. The court proceedings took place in-camera, which means they were closed to the public, and the entire trial lasted for 57 days.
Sanjay Roy was working as a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police. He was caught by the city police on August 10, 2024, which was just one day after the terrible incident took place. The court later gave him life imprisonment for his crimes.
In February 2025, the Calcutta High Court said no to the State government’s appeal for the death penalty for Sanjay Roy. The court, which had a bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashid, did not allow the State to go ahead with such an appeal.
This is because it was not the State police but the CBI that had handled the investigation and managed the entire prosecution of the case.
A bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashid refused to grant permission to the State to file such an appeal since it was the CBI which had probed the matter and conducted the prosecution.
So, in the end, the High Court said that only the CBI can file an appeal if they want to go for a harsher punishment for the accused.
It thus allowed the CBI to file an appeal for the same punishment.
The case remains a painful reminder of the safety issues faced by medical professionals and women in our country. The victim’s family is still fighting to get full justice and they hope the CBI will dig deeper into all the possible angles of the case.
LAST HEARING IN SUPREME COURT
The Supreme Court of India, on Monday, March 17, dismissed a plea filed by the parents of the victim in the RG Kar rape-murder case, who had sought a fresh investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). However, the court permitted them to continue their legal battle in the Calcutta High Court.
ALSO READ: RG Kar Rape-Murder Case| Sanjay Roy’s Sister Says, ‘No Plan to Challenge Verdict’
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, while disposing of the application, stated, “Without making comments, we dispose of the application observing that the applicant is at liberty to pursue the proceedings before the HC,” according to a report.
In an earlier hearing, the bench led by CJI Khanna had directed that hospitals and medical colleges across India should not take action against doctors and medical staff who had joined protests over the brutal rape and murder case.
The bench emphasized that no punitive steps should be taken against those professionals who had returned to work following the Supreme Court’s appeal.
Senior Advocate Karuna Nundi represented the parents of the victim, advocating for justice in the case. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta represented the CBI during the proceedings.
BACKGROUND
The case involves the tragic rape and murder of a 31-year-old post-graduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The incident occurred in August of the previous year, with the victim’s body discovered on August 9 within the hospital premises.
Following a police investigation, it was confirmed that the woman was subjected to sexual assault and then murdered. The incident sparked widespread outrage and protests across the country.
In February, a special court in Kolkata directed the CBI to provide an updated progress report on the investigation by February 24. The CBI took over the case after the Calcutta High Court issued the directive for a central investigation.
Earlier in January, Sanjay Roy, identified as the lone convict in the case and a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Sealdah, Kolkata. Additionally, the court imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on Roy for his involvement in the heinous crime.
Would You Like Assistance In Drafting A Legal Notice Or Complaint?
CLICK HERE
Click Here to Read Our Reports on Justice Yashwant Varma
FOLLOW US ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES
