CBI files Kolkata probe report, SC says content too disturbing
Terming the CBI report on the probe into the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata as “worse” and “really disturbing”, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said the agency was investigating if there was complicity of other persons in the case.
A Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud, however, refused to divulge further details, saying it would jeopardise the investigation.
“Making a disclosure today of what the CBI is investigating will jeopardise the process.... the line which is taken by the CBI is to unearth the truth. The SHO has been arrested himself.... we have seen the status report and the CBI has responded to all the issues we have raised, including whether the challan was given, what was the process of post-mortem report, whether evidence was destroyed…. if any complicity by other persons, etc…” said the Bench, which also included Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra.
After perusing the status report submitted by CBI DIG Satya Veer Singh, the Bench noted that the CBI was not sleeping over the probe, and that the agency needed time to “unearth the truth”. The CBI was also examining if the crime scene was altered, it added.
After a counsel pointed out that the jeans and undergarments of the victim were not taken, the CJI said, “What the CBI has revealed in the report is worse, really disturbing… What you are flagging is of utmost concern, we ourselves are concerned… the CBI has flagged it for us… We are ourselves disturbed by what we have read.”
The top court asked the agency to look into the “genuine concerns” expressed by the victim’s father regarding certain specific leads in the probe in a letter to the Bench. “It’s confidential. We will say these are very valuable inputs for the CBI… They are handicapped themselves at this point in time by the five-day delay, but they should also look at this to ensure this is obtained,” the CJI said.
Regarding the “missing” post-mortem challan flagged by the top court in the previous hearing, senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing the Bengal Government, said it had not been in use in the state since 1997. As Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, termed it “unfortunate”, the Bench said, “We don’t buy the explanation, once there is a statutory form, you can’t say that it was not used.” The CBI would examine this aspect, it said. The post-mortem challan is a crucial document which would have entries regarding the articles and material sent along with the body for autopsy.
Kolkata gets new Police Commissioner
Senior IPS officer Manoj Kumar Verma was appointed the new Commissioner of Kolkata police, replacing Vineet Goyal, on Tuesday. Director of Health Services, Director of Medical Education and Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata police’s North Division were also removed, as promised by the CM.
