The Calcutta High Court Today (Oct 7) directed former Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal to file an affidavit in opposition to allegations made in a petition seeking filing of FIR against him for allegedly revealing the name of the rape-murder victim doctor of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. A division bench presided by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam also directed him to state through the affidavit whether this court can independently proceed with the matter and consider the prayer sought for in the petition.
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WEST BENGAL: The Calcutta High Court instructed former Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal to submit an affidavit addressing allegations made in a petition accusing him of revealing the identity of the rape-murder victim from R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. The incident, which sparked widespread outrage, involved the tragic death of a post-graduate trainee doctor at the institution.
The division bench, led by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam, also instructed Goyal to clarify in his affidavit whether the court has the jurisdiction to independently consider the matter. The bench is keen to ascertain whether it can hear the petition given that the-
“Supreme Court is hearing the rape-murder of the R G Kar Hospital doctor”
-and might have overarching authority in the case.
The former police commissioner, now serving as the additional director general (ADG) of the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police, has been directed to submit his affidavit by November 7. The court’s direction follows a petition filed on October 4, which alleged that Goyal had disclosed the identity of the victim, violating guidelines set by the Supreme Court and the High Court, both of which have issued strict orders against revealing the names of rape victims.
In addition, the division bench, which also includes Justice Bivas Pattanayak, instructed both the West Bengal government and the Central government to submit their respective affidavits on the issue. These are expected to be filed before the same November 7 deadline.
Following this, the petitioner has been asked to file a response to these affidavits by November 14, when the matter will be heard again by the High Court. This process indicates a careful balancing act between addressing the allegations against Goyal and respecting the ongoing proceedings at the Supreme Court.
The bench expressed its intention to ensure that the High Court’s actions do not conflict with the proceedings in the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear the primary case again on October 14.
This case arose after the body of the victim was discovered in the seminar hall of R G Kar Medical College on August 9, leading to a massive outcry for justice. Since the incident occurred while Goyal was the Kolkata police commissioner, the petition alleges that his actions breached legal guidelines, further complicating the case.
The court’s directive to have Goyal and the respective governments file affidavits reflects the importance of addressing both the legal and procedural aspects surrounding the case while upholding the dignity and rights of the victim in line with established laws against disclosing the identities of sexual assault victims.
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