Kolkata rape-and-murder: High court bars Sandip Ghosh's appointment as principal of any medical college

Kolkata, August 13

Amid the nation-wide outrage over the rape and murder of a female doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College last week, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday gave a clear instruction to the state Health Department not to appoint Sandip Ghosh, who stepped down as the principal of RG Kar Medical College on Monday, as the head of any medical college in the state till further orders.

Hours after resigning as the principal of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital citing “moral responsibility” on Monday, Ghosh was appointed principal of the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMCH), triggering protests by the medical students and junior doctors of CNMCH.

Hearing a clutch of petitions on Tuesday, a division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya also raised several questions on the role of the hospital authorities in handling the case since the victim's bruised body was found in the seminar hall of the hospital on the morning of August 9.

The division bench had earlier directed the state Health Department to ask Ghosh to go on voluntary leave with immediate effect.

"The principal is the guardian of all doctors working there...if he doesn't show any empathy, who will? He should be at home, and not working anywhere. If the principal stepped down citing 'moral responsibility', it is a rather serious matter that he is rewarded within 12 hours with another appointment. Let him go on long leave, otherwise we will pass an order," the court said.

Soon after that the controversial doctor submitted an application to the state Health Department seeking 15-day leave.

For the time being, Ajay Ray, who was replaced by Ghosh as the CNMCH principal, will continue in the post till further orders.