Today, On 15th October, The Supreme Court raised concerns about the recruitment process of civic police volunteers, questioning who is responsible for recruiting them and the methods used. The Court emphasized the need for transparency and proper oversight in selecting these volunteers. In the RG Kar Medical College case, Sanjay Roy, a civil police volunteer, was accused of the brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday requested data from the West Bengal government concerning the recruitment of civic volunteers who assist police with routine tasks.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud, along with Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, requested data from the West Bengal government on the recruitment of civic volunteers after noting that Sanjay Roy, the accused in the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, was a civic police volunteer.
Roy’s position allowed him unrestricted access to the hospital building, raising concerns.
Civic volunteers, recruited on a contractual basis, are often employed to ease unemployment and compensate for the shortage of police personnel. Their typical duties include tasks like managing traffic and handling minor responsibilities.
The Court said today,
“Who recruits these civic volunteers. We need to know what are these qualifications. We need to know that such volunteers do not operate in hospitals, schools which are sensitive in nature,”
Senior Advocate Karuna Nundy who was representing junior doctors before the Court said,
“Also in police stations, there are 1,500 plus such volunteers as on date now,”
The Court said,
“This is a nice way to confer political patronage on selected individuals. Let the State of West Bengal first give us the data,”
The Supreme Court hearing a suo motu case regarding the tragic rape and murder of a 31-year-old resident doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal. The doctor’s body was discovered on August 9 in a seminar hall at the college, and an autopsy later confirmed that she had been raped and murdered.
This incident ignited widespread protests and strikes by doctors across the country, who called for stronger laws and enhanced policing to ensure the safety of medical professionals. The Calcutta High Court subsequently transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which arrested Sanjay Roy, a civic police volunteer, in connection with the crime.
Read Also: [RG Kar Rape-Murder] “CBI In Direct Contact With Deceased’s Parents”: CJI Chandrachud
In response, the Supreme Court initiated a suo motu case to examine the safety of doctors in their workplaces. The Court previously issued directives, including the formation of a National Task Force to address concerns related to the safety and dignity of medical professionals and to combat gender-based violence in healthcare settings.
Additionally, the Court instructed both the West Bengal government and the CBI to submit status reports on the investigation’s progress and ordered the deployment of CISF security at the hospital.
In earlier hearings, the Court raised concerns about the slow implementation of security measures in medical institutions across the state and pressed the West Bengal government for answers regarding delays.