Calcutta HC Grants Time to Accused in R.G. Kar Scam to Review CBI Charge Sheet
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Synopsis
On February 7, the Calcutta High Court ruled that the accused in the R.G. Kar Medical College financial irregularities case will receive sufficient time to review the CBI charge sheet. Their counsels can collect the documents and will inform the lower court accordingly. The next hearing is scheduled for February 11.
Key Takeaways
- Calcutta High Court grants time for accused to review charge sheet.
- Accused include former principal and contractors.
- Next hearing set for February 11.
- CBI document collection scheduled for February 8-9.
- Trial process may be overseen by the High Court.
Kolkata, Feb 7 (NationPress) The Calcutta High Court announced on Friday that the legal representatives of the accused involved in the case of significant financial misconduct at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata will have sufficient time to review the charge sheet submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after retrieving it from the agency's office by the coming weekend.
A division bench, led by Justice Joymalya Bagchi, stated that the lawyers for the five accused can visit the CBI's Economic Offences Wing on February 8 and 9 to collect all documents related to the charge sheet.
The case is scheduled for a hearing on February 11 at the same division bench, where it is anticipated that a date will be established for initiating the charge framing process at a special court in Kolkata.
On Friday, the bench also mandated that the accused's counsel must inform the lower court about their retrieval of charge sheet-related documents from the CBI office.
The CBI charge sheet identifies five individuals: the former and contentious R.G. Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh, his assistant and bodyguard Afsar Ali, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra, along with junior doctor Ashish Pandey. All five are currently held in judicial custody.
Following the establishment of February 6 as the date for beginning charge framing at the special court, Ghosh and others filed a petition in the Calcutta High Court seeking additional time for this process.
Nevertheless, on January 31, a single-judge bench presided by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh dismissed the request. The counsel for the accused subsequently submitted a review petition, which was also denied on February 5.
On the morning of February 6, the counsel approached the division bench led by Justice Bagchi, contesting the single-judge bench's rejection and requesting more time for the accused.
The bench remarked that they do not wish to undermine the case's seriousness by restricting the time allowed for the accused to review the charges before the charge framing commences.
However, the division bench clarified that granting additional time for the accused to review the documents does not imply an unnecessary delay in the trial process.
The High Court bench also noted that it may oversee the trial in this case at the special court if required.
