Synopsis
The Supreme Court is set to hear the suo moto case concerning the rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on March 17. The court aims to address safety concerns for medical professionals and the ongoing investigation by the CBI.Key Takeaways
- The Supreme Court is hearing a suo moto case regarding the rape and murder of a junior doctor.
- A National Task Force for doctor safety has been proposed.
- The CBI is preparing a supplementary charge sheet concerning evidence tampering.
- Compensation has been directed for the victim's family.
- Participating medical professionals are assured of no punitive actions.
New Delhi, March 13 (NationPress) The Supreme Court is set to address next week the issue where it has taken suo moto cognizance of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-operated R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
According to the Cause List released on the apex court's website, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar will continue hearing the suo moto case on March 17.
During the previous hearing, the CJI Khanna-led Bench instructed hospitals and medical colleges nationwide not to penalize doctors and medical professionals who took part in protests against the horrific rape and murder case but had returned to their responsibilities following the top court’s request.
In August of last year, when the hearing on the suo moto case titled ‘Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, and related issues’ took place, the apex court urged the protesting medical community to resume work promptly and assured them that no punitive measures would be taken against them for participating in the protests.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is expected to submit its supplementary charge sheet at a special court in Kolkata this month, detailing various aspects of the evidence tampering angle.
Officials from the central agency are striving to present the supplementary charge sheet at the special court in Kolkata before the scheduled Supreme Court hearing.
In October, the CBI filed its initial charge sheet against Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, in the alleged rape and murder case.
In the charge sheet, the CBI did not dismiss the possibility of a larger conspiracy behind the gruesome crime that led to alleged tampering and alteration of evidence during the initial investigative phase conducted by Kolkata Police.
Apart from Roy, two additional individuals arrested by CBI officials in the case are the former Principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, and the former SHO of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal.
R.G. Kar falls under the jurisdiction of Tala Police Station.
The main allegations against Ghosh and Mondal involve misleading the investigation when Kolkata Police were probing the case before the Calcutta High Court transferred it to the CBI.
Both are accused of tampering with evidence related to the case.
While determining the sentence, special court judge Anirban Das stated that the CBI’s assertion that Roy's offense was among the “rarest of rare crimes” was not justifiable.
Thus, the judge opined that instead of the “death penalty,” Roy, a former civic volunteer associated with Kolkata Police, should receive a sentence of “life imprisonment.”
In addition, a fine of Rs 50,000 was also imposed on Roy.
The special court simultaneously instructed the West Bengal government to compensate the family of the deceased victim with Rs 17 lakh.
The court noted that since the victim was raped and murdered at her workplace, which is a state-owned entity, the West Bengal government is legally obligated to provide compensation to the victim’s family.
The framing of charges was completed on November 4, 2024, exactly 87 days after the body of the junior doctor was found in a seminar hall within the hospital grounds on the morning of August 9 of the previous year.
Taking suo moto cognizance of the crime, the Supreme Court labelled the incident as “horrific,” raising the “systemic issue of safety for doctors nationwide.”
“We are profoundly concerned about the absence of safe working conditions for young doctors across the country, especially in public hospitals,” it stated.
The apex court mandated the establishment of a National Task Force to propose measures for the security of medical professionals across the nation, emphasizing that the safety of doctors is of the “highest national concern.”
