The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday carried out a raid on the residence of the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata as part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving the college. The agency is also searching 14 other locations linked to the case.
The CBI registered a case of alleged financial irregularities at the medical college on Saturday, a day after taking over the investigation from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the West Bengal government.
The move comes after a trainee doctor was raped and murdered on August 9 in a seminar hall at the medical college.
"This Court directs that the investigation be transferred to the CBI, given that the case involved serious allegations and multiple agencies handling different aspects of the case could lead to inefficiencies or inconsistency for comprehensive justice, unnecessary delays in the judicial process, and potential misinterpretation of information, thereby undermining effective and credible enforcement. Therefore, the investigation should not be fragmented between different agencies. Handing over the investigation to the CBI ensures consistency," Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj stated in his order.
The CBI has been ordered to submit a progress report on the investigation within three weeks. On Saturday, five individuals, including the former principal Sandip Ghosh, underwent polygraph tests at the CBI's office in Kolkata. The tests were conducted by a team of polygraph specialists from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Delhi.
Besides Ghosh, lie detection tests were conducted on two doctors, an intern, and a hospital staffer who were on duty on the night the woman trainee doctor was raped and murdered.
Meanwhile, Junior and senior doctors in the state are continuing to protest, demanding secure work environments, despite the West Bengal health department holding separate talks on Saturday in an attempt to restore normalcy.
The meeting was aimed at convincing the protesting doctors to resume work across state-run hospitals and colleges in West Bengal.
The CBI's investigation into the corruption allegations at RG Kar Medical College is ongoing.
