RG Kar Case: Charges Framing Delayed : RG Kar Financial Irregularities Case: Charge Framing Delayed as High Court Grants Time to Accused

Kolkata, Feb 6 (NationPress) The charge framing process in the case involving multi-crore financial irregularities at the state-operated R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata has been delayed. This postponement comes after the Calcutta High Court granted additional time to the accused parties, which was initially set to occur at a special court on Thursday.

The next session will be held at the division bench presided over by Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Subhendu Samanta on Friday. The bench instructed the legal representatives of both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the five accused individuals to collaborate and propose a mutually agreed date for the commencement of the charge-framing process.

The bench expressed concerns about potentially undermining the gravity of the case by not allowing sufficient time for the accused to comprehend the charges against them prior to the initiation of the charge framing.

Furthermore, the bench questioned the urgency of commencing the charge-framing process, noting that the CBI only provided the related documents to the defense counsels on February 1.

However, the division bench clarified that granting more time for the accused to review these documents does not imply that the trial will be unduly delayed.

The High Court also mentioned that, if deemed necessary, the Calcutta High Court may oversee the trial proceedings at the special court.

Previously, on Thursday, the five accused sought the intervention of the division bench after their two previous requests for more time at a single-judge bench were denied earlier in the week.

On Wednesday, the single-judge bench led by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh rejected the accused's plea for additional time for charge framing for the second time. This follows a ruling on January 31 where a similar request was dismissed, with direction for the CBI to ensure charge framing starts by February 6.

The accused subsequently filed a review petition before the same bench, which was also turned down. Justice Ghosh raised questions about its admissibility, stressing that his earlier rejection was reached after thorough consideration.

The CBI's charge sheet names five individuals, including the former and controversial principal of R.G. Kar, Sandip Ghosh, his assistant and bodyguard Afsar Ali, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra, and junior doctor Ashish Pandey. All five are currently under judicial custody.

The allegations against them involve serious financial misconduct at the medical college, and the resolution of this case is anticipated to have significant implications.