During a Supreme Court hearing Today (Aug 22) on the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, criticised West Bengal government’s counsel Kapil Sibal for allegedly “laughing” while Mehta was pointing out gaps in registering the FIR by police. “A girl has lost her life in the most inhuman and undignified manner. Don’t at least laugh,” Mehta said.
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NEW DELHI: During the Supreme Court hearing on Thursday regarding the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, sharply criticized West Bengal government counsel Kapil Sibal.
The exchange occurred when Sibal allegedly “laughed” while Mehta was highlighting the serious lapses in the registration of the FIR by the Kolkata Police.
Mehta sternly remarked,
“Somebody has lost their life, do not at least laugh,”
-emphasizing the gravity of the situation.
The CBI had submitted its status report to the Supreme Court on the ongoing investigation into the gruesome incident. The report revealed several discrepancies and missing links in the case. The CBI found that the crime scene had been altered, and the victim’s family had been misled about the cause of their daughter’s death, initially being told it was a suicide.
During the hearing, Mehta expressed deep concern over the significant delay in filing the FIR. He informed the court that
“the most shocking fact is that the first FIR was registered at 11:45 pm after cremation.”
He further explained that the victim’s parents were initially told it was a suicide, then a natural death, and only after the victim’s friends at the hospital insisted on videography did the truth begin to emerge.
The Supreme Court, led by a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra, termed the Kolkata Police’s handling of the case as “extremely disturbing.”
The bench particularly noted the troubling sequence of events, pointing out the delay in registering the case as an unnatural death. The court questioned,
“How was it that the post-mortem was conducted at 6:10 pm on August 9 and yet the unnatural death information is sent to Tala police station at 11:30 pm on August 9? This is extremely disturbing.”
![[Doctor Rape & Murder] "A girl lost her life in most inhuman way, don't laugh at least": SG Mehta to Kapil Sibal in SC](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CJI-6.jpg?resize=820%2C317&ssl=1)
The court directed the Kolkata Police officer responsible for registering the first entry about the rape and murder to appear at the next hearing and provide details about the timing of the entry. This directive was in response to the ongoing concerns about how the initial steps of the investigation were handled.
Mehta reiterated to the bench that the FIR was only lodged at 11:45 pm, after the victim had already been cremated, adding that the state police had initially misled the parents, first claiming it was a suicide, then acknowledging it as a murder. He further noted that the victim’s friends had suspected a cover-up and had insisted on videography of the crime scene.
The hearing also addressed the ongoing protests by doctors across the country in response to the murder.
![[Doctor Rape & Murder] "A girl lost her life in most inhuman way, don't laugh at least": SG Mehta to Kapil Sibal in SC](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-271.png?resize=820%2C461&ssl=1)
The Supreme Court asked the protesting doctors to resume work, assuring them that no adverse actions would be taken against them once they returned to their duties. The court emphasized the importance of maintaining the public health infrastructure, with the bench stating,
“How will public health infrastructure run if the doctors do not work?”
The top court also reassured the doctors’ associations that the National Task Force would hear all stakeholders involved. The brutal rape and murder of the junior doctor, whose body was found with severe injury marks in the seminar hall of the hospital’s chest department, has triggered nationwide protests.
The following day, August 10, a civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police in connection with the case.
The case continues to unfold, with the Supreme Court closely monitoring the investigation, particularly the actions of the Kolkata Police and the findings of the CBI.
The next hearing is expected to provide further clarity on the gaps and delays identified in the early stages of the investigation.
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