The Calcutta High Court announced that all Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed since 2021 will no longer be heard by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam’s bench, but by Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De. Additionally, appeals regarding police actions will be handled by Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra, aiming to enhance efficiency.
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.
![[RG Kar Rape-Murder] Cal HC Declines to Hear PIL on Shifting Junior Doctors' Protest Amid Traffic Concerns](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/image-25.png?resize=447%2C367&ssl=1)
The Calcutta High Court Today (Oct 7) refused to take up for hearing at present a PIL seeking that a sit-in by junior doctors at Esplanade be shifted to a side of the thoroughfare, on the claim that its present position was affecting movement of traffic. The agitating medics in West Bengal are holding a fast-unto-death at the spot in the heart of the city since Saturday, demanding justice for the rape and murder of a woman doctor of R G Kar hospital and workplace safety.
The Calcutta High Court Today ordered the investigation of an assault on ED officials in Sandeshkhali to be transferred from the West Bengal Police to the CBI. The court also instructed that the custody of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh, arrested in connection with the incident, be handed over to the central agency. Separate appeals by the ED and the West Bengal government indicate a critical moment in the state’s legal and political landscape, with implications for future collaborations or confrontations between state and central law enforcement agencies in India.
The Calcutta High Court Today has reserved its order on the Enforcement Directorate’s prayer to transfer the investigation from West Bengal Police to CBI regarding an attack on ED officials during a raid on TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh. Allegations of bias against state police were raised, and the CBI has expressed readiness to undertake the investigation if directed by the court.