New Delhi: Days after the Calcutta High Court, showing displeasure over the handling of the case related to the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata, transferred the investigation to the CBI, the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the August 9 incident.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud will hear the matter on Tuesday. The bench also includes Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
The Supreme Court’s supplementary cause list for August 20 lists “in re: alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and related issues” for hearing before the bench. This indicates that the court may also address the acts of vandalism by a mob at the hospital on the night of August 14.
On August 13, the High Court’s division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, expressing displeasure over the case handling and noting that “there appears to be no significant progress in the investigation,” transferred the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI. The High Court instructed that it would monitor the investigation and that the CBI must submit a report to the court within three weeks.
The following day, a mob attacked doctors protesting at midnight against the rape and murder. The mob also vandalized the hospital. In response to the violence, the police have released 76 photos of those allegedly involved in the vandalism and made 30 arrests. On Sunday, The Indian Express reported that among those identified or arrested were two TMC workers, several young men in their teens or twenties, and a few women.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Opposition BJP and CPM of orchestrating the vandalism at the hospital and spreading fake news on social media.
On August 16, the High Court criticized the police for their failure to manage the mob violence and vandalism at the hospital. The court expressed disbelief that police intelligence had no information about the gathering of 7,000 people, despite the state’s lawyer claiming such a large mob had assembled at the hospital.
The High Court directed both the police and hospital authorities to file separate affidavits detailing the “true state of affairs” at the hospital. All related matters will be heard on August 21. This case has shocked the country and triggered protests by doctors in several cities.
