RG Kar hospital ex-principal, 3 others sent to judicial custody

Former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh was on Tuesday sent to judicial custody till September 23 by a special CBI court in a financial irregularities case.

The court also sent his security personnel Afsar Ali and two alleged associates – medical equipment vendor Biplab Singha and pharmacy shop owner Suman Hazara – to judicial custody till September 23.

Although the accused were previously remanded to CBI custody for eight days leaving the probe agency with the option to pray for another six days of maximum remand, the investigators made no such petition before the court.

“The CBI has already secured large amounts of digital evidence on the alleged crime. We need time to analyse that evidence. We do not need the accused in police custody immediately. But we may seek their custody again later, if required,” the agency counsel submitted in court.

Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the Alipore Court premises where Ghosh and others were produced, when lawyers, mostly women, demonstrated against the former RG Kar principal and tried to block the courtroom exit when he was being escorted out by security personnel.

Even the judge's appeals to refrain from agitation fell on deaf ears.

The police summoned central paramilitary jawans to gain control over the situation.