Synopsis
The Supreme Court will address the suo moto case concerning the rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The court previously directed medical institutions to avoid penalizing protesting doctors and emphasized the urgent need for improved safety for medical professionals.Key Takeaways
- The Supreme Court is addressing the case of a junior doctor's rape and murder.
- A bench led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna will hear the case.
- Hospitals are instructed not to penalize protesting doctors.
- CBI is preparing a supplementary charge sheet regarding evidence tampering.
- A National Task Force has been ordered to improve safety for doctors.
New Delhi, March 16 (NationPress) The Supreme Court is set to convene on Monday regarding its suo moto cognizance of the horrific rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-operated R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. According to the causelist available on the apex court's website, a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar will continue hearing the suo moto case on March 17.
During the last hearing, the CJI Khanna-led Bench instructed hospitals and medical colleges nationwide not to penalize doctors and medical staff who had participated in protests against this ghastly rape and murder case, but returned to work following the court’s directive.
In August of the previous year, during discussions concerning 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’, the apex court urged the striking medical community to resume their duties promptly and guaranteed that no punitive measures would be taken against them for their participation in protests.
In the meantime, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is anticipated to submit its supplementary charge sheet at a special court in Kolkata this month, outlining various aspects related to evidence tampering. Officials from the central agency are diligently working to present the supplementary charge sheet at the special court in Kolkata prior to the scheduled Supreme Court hearing.
In October, the CBI filed its initial charge sheet against Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer associated with Kolkata Police, in connection with the alleged rape and murder case. The charge sheet indicated that the CBI did not dismiss the suspicion of a broader conspiracy linked to the gruesome crime, which triggered the alleged evidence tampering during the initial investigation by Kolkata Police.
Alongside Roy, two additional individuals apprehended by CBI officials include Sandip Ghosh, the former Principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, and Abhijit Mondal, the former SHO of Tala Police Station.
R.G. Kar falls under the jurisdiction of Tala Police Station. The primary accusations against Ghosh and Mondal include misleading the investigation when the Kolkata Police were examining the incident before it was transferred to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court.
Both have been charged with tampering with evidence in the case. When announcing the sentence, special court judge Anirban Das remarked that the CBI’s assertion regarding Roy's crime being one of the “rarest of rare” was not valid. Consequently, the judge decided that instead of the “death penalty”, Roy, a former civic volunteer linked to Kolkata Police, would receive a sentence of “life imprisonment”. Additionally, a fine of Rs 50,000 was imposed on Roy.
Simultaneously, the special court ordered the West Bengal government to provide a compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the deceased victim's family. It noted that since the victim was raped and murdered at her workplace, a state-run entity, the West Bengal government is legally obligated to compensate the victim’s family.
The charge framing process concluded on November 4, 2024, precisely 87 days after the woman junior doctor’s body was discovered in a seminar hall within the hospital on the morning of August 9 last year.
In taking suo moto cognizance of the crime, the Supreme Court characterized the incident as “horrific”, highlighting the “systemic issue of safety for doctors nationwide”.
“We are profoundly troubled by the lack 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 nationwide, emphasizing that the safety of doctors is of the “highest national concern”.
