Synopsis
On February 5, the Calcutta High Court rejected Sandip Ghosh's appeal for more time to frame charges in the financial irregularities case involving R.G. Kar Medical College. The court emphasized the need to begin the charge-framing process promptly while the CBI and ED continue their investigations into the matter.Key Takeaways
- Calcutta High Court denies request for delay.
- Justice Tirthankar Ghosh presiding over the case.
- CBI and ED involved in investigations.
- Charges include financial manipulation and illegal activities.
- Five individuals named in the CBI chargesheet.
Kolkata, Feb 5 (NationPress) A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Wednesday, once again dismissed a request from the former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata for extra time to frame charges against him in the institution's multi-crore financial irregularities case.
The charge-framing procedure was scheduled to commence at the special court on Wednesday. However, it was postponed as Ghosh and other accused in the case approached the same bench of the Calcutta High Court, which had rejected their similar petitions the previous week.
On January 31, the single-judge bench led by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh dismissed the initial requests from Ghosh and others, reaffirming an earlier directive for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure that the charge-framing process begins at the special court by February 6.
On Wednesday, the accused presented a review petition against the prior order to the bench of Justice Ghosh. However, Justice Ghosh dismissed the review petition and questioned its validity. He noted that he had considered various factors before rejecting the earlier petition.
In addition to the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a simultaneous investigation into the financial irregularities at R.G. Kar. While the CBI commenced its inquiry following a directive from the Calcutta High Court, the ED initiated its investigation into the money laundering aspect after registering an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR).
Five individuals have been named in the CBI's chargesheet, including Sandip Ghosh, his assistant-cum-bodyguard Afsar Alir, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra, and a junior doctor Ashish Pandey. All of them are currently in judicial custody.
The primary allegations in this case involve manipulation in the tendering process at R.G. Kar, the execution of infrastructure-related work by private contractors while bypassing the state public works department for substantial commissions, the illegal disposal of bio-medical waste from the hospital, and the illicit sale of organs from unidentified bodies arriving at the R.G. Kar morgue for post-mortem at inflated prices.
