Kolkata horror: Supreme Court to take up CBI status report tomorrow
The Supreme Court, which took suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata following a nationwide outrage and protests by doctors, will hear the matter on Monday.
The matter is listed before a Bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra. The Bench, which had on August 20 asked the CBI to submit a status report on the probe into the case, is likely to peruse the report and issue any further directions, if needed.
While ordering the Centre to deploy Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel for security at the hospital and its hostels, the Bench had also asked the West Bengal Government to furnish a separate status report on the mid-night vandalism at the hospital campus in which peacefully protesting doctors were allegedly targeted.
However, alleging “unpardonable” non-cooperation by the West Bengal Government and the Kolkata police in providing logistical support to the CISF, the Centre had on September 3 moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to state authorities to extend full cooperation to the central force.
In an affidavit filed in the top court, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) urged the top court to direct the West Bengal Government to extend full cooperation to the CISF and ensure full compliance, in letter and spirit, of its orders in the case. It requested the top court to initiate contempt proceedings against the state government officials and authorities concerned for wilful non-compliance of the orders, if they didn’t extend cooperation to the CISF.
Describing the West Bengal Government’s conduct as “unexpected”, “unjustifiable”, “contemptuous” and “unpardonable”, the MHA said such a course of action adopted by the state government “went against all the constitutional and moral principles which the state should abide by”.
The top court will also take up the Centre’s plea alleging non-cooperation by the state government and the Kolkata police in providing logistical support in terms of adequate accommodation, vehicles and security gadgets to the CISF.
In compliance with the top court’s order, the Centre has deployed two CISF companies—each having 92 personnel of various ranks, including 54 female personnel under the command of a lady officer in three shifts with effect from August 22—at the hospital.
Expressing serious concern over “virtual absence for safe working conditions” for doctors and health professionals, the Supreme Court on August 20 set up a 10-member National Task Force (NTF) to frame a national protocol for ensuring safety and basic facilities for them.
A badly injured body of the post-graduate trainee doctor—now being called Abhaya—was found in the seminar room of the hospital on August 9. The Kolkata police initially registered a case of unnatural death and arrested Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, the next day. However, acting on a petition filed by the victim’s parents, the Calcutta High Court on August 13 transferred the probe to the CBI, expressing dissatisfaction over the investigation conducted by the Kolkata police. The CBI has questioned Dr Sandip Ghosh, former Principal of RG Kar college, and arrested him in a corruption case.
