After 1.5 months, the Supreme Court will finally hear the high-profile RG Kar suo-moto case today. The Chief Justice-led bench will take up the matter as item number 3, with victim’s parents expected to be present in Delhi.
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India will continue its hearing today on the suo moto case concerning the rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
According to the Cause List published on the Supreme Court’s official website, the Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar will resume the hearing Today-March 17.
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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