In the RG Kar rape and murder case, Calcutta High Court Justice Tirthankar Ghosh recused himself from hearing the petition filed by the victim’s parents, who are demanding a fresh investigation into the matter for justice.
Kolkata: Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court recused himself from hearing a petition filed by the parents of the rape and murder victim from R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, who are seeking a new investigation into the case.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress asserted that the Kolkata Police have been more effective in identifying the perpetrator than the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Justice Ghosh noted that there are two other petitions challenging the verdict currently being considered by a division bench led by Justice Debangsu Basak. He stated that the victim’s family’s petition should also be reviewed by the same bench to maintain judicial consistency.
The family expressed their lack of confidence in the CBI’s investigation, citing inconsistencies and calling for a fresh probe.
The victim’s father told media after Justice Ghosh recused himself,
“They have sent the case to the Chief Justice T. S. Sivagnanam and are waiting to be reassigned. Who will be seeing the case after this remains to be seen once it gets reassigned,”
In earlier discussions, the victim’s parents expressed their dissatisfaction with the CBI’s investigation.
The victim’s father stated in June 2025,
“We do not think their investigation was fair or accurate. While they named only one person in their chargesheet, we believe more people were involved. We will not rest till the larger conspiracy behind our daughter’s deaths is brought to light,”
On the subject of the R.G. Kar case, Abhishek Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress’s National General Secretary, addressed party supporters on the foundation day of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) in Kolkata.
Mr. Banerjee remarked,
“Today, a year has passed. What Kolkata Police did under the leadership of CM Mamata Banerjee then, Narendra Modi’s CBI has been unable to do even after a year. That has been proven,”
This comment referred to the arrest of civic volunteer Sanjoy Roy, the only convict in the R.G. Kar rape and murder case, who was apprehended by the Kolkata Police just a day after the incident was reported.
The CBI also named only Sanjoy Roy in their chargesheet filed on October 7, 2024.
Mr. Banerjee criticized the central government, claiming that while the state police managed to apprehend the suspect swiftly, the CBI, which took over the case on August 14, 2024, has failed to uncover any additional culprits.
He also pointed out that the central government did not pass their “Aparajita Bill,” which proposed capital punishment for all rape offenders in cases resulting in the victim’s death or a vegetative state.
Mr. Banerjee further alleged,
“Those who had objected to it, their objective was not that the accused should be punished, but to destroy the health infrastructure in place to protect the interests of the poor,”