The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed plea of ex-principal Sandip Ghosh of Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital challenging the Calcutta High Court order. The Enforcement Directorate on Friday also conducted raids at four residences, including that of Ghosh, who had been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation for financial irregularities at the hospital.
The rape and murder of a Kolkata medic on August 9 at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital sparked widespread protests nationwide and prompted the Calcutta High Court to transfer the case from Kolkata Police to the CBI.
The protests have also led to a political slugfest as opposition parties accuse CM Mamata Banerjee and her party of 'protecting' Sandip Ghosh and through several protests, they demanded Banerjee's resignation.
Recently the victim's family accused Kolkata Police of attempting to cover up the crime last month by hastily creating the body and allegedly forcing them to say that they were satisfied by the actions of the administration in a video.
Kolkata Doctor Rape And Murder Case: CBI Investigation Continues | Top Points
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has referred the anti-Rape bill, which was passed by the state Assembly, to President Droupadi Murmu for her consideration, an official said.
Prime accused Sanjay Roy has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days till September 20. Roy started crying when he case hearing began, news agency PTI reported citing CBI sources.
Thousands of women across West Bengal are likely to turn up for a third edition of the "Reclaim The Night" campaign on September 8 midnight, to press their demand for justice for the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital.
The Supreme Court dismissed Sandip Ghosh's plea which challenged the Calcutta High Court order dismissing his plea to be added as a party to a petition alleging financial irregularities at the institute during his tenure.
A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said as an accused Ghosh has no locus to impleaded in the plea. "As an accused you have no locus to intervene in the PIL, where the Calcutta high court is monitoring the investigation," the bench said.
Senior TMC leader Derek O'Brien criticized the CBI on Friday, questioning the delay in filing a charge-sheet for the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case. He urged the agency to expedite the process and put the accused on trial, reflecting the TMC's recent calls for swift legal action.
Enforcement Directorate officers on Friday carried out coordinated search operations at the residences of Sandip Ghosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and three of his associates. The searches are related to alleged financial irregularities at the institution.
The raids were carried out at Ghosh's residence in Beliaghata and at two locations in Howrah and Subhasgram. All the four are already in CBI custody.
The Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation into alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar Hospital from a state SIT to the CBI. This decision followed a petition by Dr. Akhtar Ali, the former deputy superintendent of the facility, who linked the corruption to the doctor’s death and requested an ED probe into the misconduct.
The Trinamool Congress on Thursday refuted accusations of a police cover-up by the parents of the victim, insisting that a newly surfaced video contradicts their claims by showing the family previously satisfied with the investigation.
The family of the deceased medic, who joined protesting doctors at RG Kar Hospital, accused the Kolkata Police of trying to suppress the case by hastily cremating the body and claimed the video was forcibly recorded by the police post-cremation.
A family member of the deceased said, "The video was shot by the police just days after the incident took place and we were forced to participate. The truth is that the police tried to hush up the case and attempted to protect (former) RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh."
TMC on the other hand, claimed that the saffron party in Bengal is engaging in political manoeuvres alongside other parties, which is exacerbating the distress of the victim's parents.
The West Bengal BJP shot back, saying the family has “exposed” the state government's plan to hushup the case. "The TMC government has done everything to coverup this. The family's statement has exposed the TMC and the police," BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya claimed.
Governor C V Ananda Bose on Thursday criticised the state administration for its handling of the situation. Bose remarked the state government is "going from wrong to wrong," emphasising that the public’s “lack of trust” in the system has led to the recent massive protests.
The death of the doctor on August 9 has triggered nationwide protests and led to junior doctors in West Bengal going on cease work.
