The Supreme Court Today (March 17) resumed hearing the high-profile RG Kar Kolkata doctor rape-murder case after 1.5 months. CJI confirmed the next hearing in May 2025, keeping the case under close watch.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India continued its hearing today on the suo motu case related to the tragic incident of the rape and murder of a young doctor from R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
This case has received a lot of attention, and today’s hearing was another important step in the fight for justice.
After a break of one and a half months, a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, resumed the hearing. The victim’s parents were also present in the courtroom, making the atmosphere even more emotional.
Senior Advocate Karuna Nundy addressed the bench and said,
“Milords, on the last date, gave me a directive for seeking specific directions from the parents of the victim. They are here in the court. Milords, a single judge may be allowed to monitor further investigation.”
Hearing this, the Chief Justice of India responded,
“We are not saying anything, we simply permit the single judge to continue with the… we are not making any comments anyway, not saying whether investigation should continue or not.”
Nundy then requested,
“Milords, my application may be allowed.”
She also added,
“Milords, could there be another date for the main matter? I am also for the 25,000 doctors.”
Acknowledging her statement, the Chief Justice said,
“We are aware.”
At this moment, the Solicitor General (SG) sought permission to speak and said,
“Milords, may I say one thing?”
The Chief Justice allowed him to proceed, responding,
“Yes, please.”
The Solicitor General then pointed out,
“I am for CBI. There are some observations made in the application.”
However, the Chief Justice quickly clarified,
“That’s the old application, Mr. SG. This is a new application.”
Following this, Karuna Nundy stated,
“I have withdrawn the older application.”
During the hearing, another lawyer interrupted and expressed concerns that their opinions were not considered while forming the task force.
Continuing her arguments, Nundy requested,
“Milords, may we be given a specific date?”
and suggested,
“Somewhere in April.”
After listening to her, the Chief Justice concluded by stating,
“Week commencing in May 2025.”
With this, the court scheduled the next hearing for May 2025. The hearing ended for the day, but the case remains in focus as people continue to demand justice for the victim and her family.
During an earlier hearing, the Bench led by CJI Khanna directed all hospitals and medical colleges across India not to penalise doctors and medical professionals who had participated in protests against the gruesome incident. The court emphasized that those who had resumed their duties after the Supreme Court’s appeal should not face any adverse actions.
In August 2024, the Supreme Court, while hearing the suo moto case titled ‘Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, and related issues‘, had urged protesting doctors to return to work.
The court assured them, saying,
“No adverse action would be taken against them for participating in protests.”
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is expected to file its supplementary charge sheet at a special court in Kolkata this month. This supplementary document will provide more details, particularly concerning the evidence tampering angle. The CBI is aiming to submit the charge sheet before the next Supreme Court hearing.
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Earlier, in October 2024, the CBI had filed its first charge sheet against Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police. The charge sheet indicated the possibility of a larger conspiracy behind the crime. It also suggested that there had been instances of tampering and altering evidence during the initial investigation conducted by the Kolkata Police.
Arrests and Charges
In addition to Roy, the CBI has arrested two other individuals in connection with the case:
- Sandip Ghosh – Former Principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.
- Abhijit Mondal – Former Station House Officer (SHO) of Tala Police Station, under whose jurisdiction the hospital falls.
Both Ghosh and Mondal are accused of misleading the investigation and tampering with evidence when the case was initially being handled by the Kolkata Police.
Sentencing and Compensation
While delivering the verdict, Special Court Judge Anirban Das ruled that the CBI’s claim of the crime being among the “rarest of rare” was “not tenable“. Therefore, instead of awarding the death penalty, the court sentenced Roy to “life imprisonment“. Additionally, the court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Roy.
Furthermore, the court directed the West Bengal government to pay Rs 17 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family.
The court observed,
“Since the victim was raped and murdered at her workplace, which is a state-government entity, the West Bengal government is legally bound to pay compensation to the victim’s family.”
Background of the Case
The process of framing charges concluded on November 4, 2024, which was exactly 87 days after the victim’s body was discovered on August 9, 2024, inside a seminar hall at the hospital premises. Taking suo moto cognisance, the Supreme Court had described the incident as “horrific“ and expressed concern over the “systemic issue of safety of doctors across the country.”
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The Supreme Court had remarked,
“We are deeply concerned about the fact that there is an absence of safe conditions of work for young doctors across the country, particularly, public hospitals.”
Recognizing the gravity of the issue, the apex court ordered the formation of a National Task Force to recommend measures for enhancing the security of medical professionals nationwide.
The court observed that-
“the safety of doctors is the highest national concern.”
Case Title:
In Re: Alleged Rape and Murder Incident of a Trainee Doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and Related Issues
[SMW (Crl) No. 000002/2024].
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