CBI trial of RG Kar rape-murder likely to wrap up in a month: Supreme Court
Times of India | 11 December 2024
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday took note of CBI's latest status report and expressed confidence that the trial of the rape-and-murder of a PGT doctor at RG Kar was likely to conclude in a month.
On going through CBI's report, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar noted the trial was proceeding on a daily basis—Monday to Thursday—at the special CBI court at Sealdah. It observed that among the 81 witnesses, the prosecution had recorded the statements of 43.
SC has slated the next hearing for March 17.
The CBI on Tuesday told the apex court that a request for sanction to prosecute former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh and junior doctor Ashish Kumar Pandey had been pending with the state since Nov 27, though the charge sheet against them had been filed two days later.
For CBI, solicitor-general Tushar Mehta submitted the probe status report related to alleged financial irregularities at the hospital, which came to light after the doctor was found raped and murdered on the premises on Aug 9. Mehta said though the trial against the main accused in the rape-murder case had been filed, CBI was likely to file a supplementary charge sheet after completing its probe into alleged destruction of evidence by hospital authorities.
The SC asked Mehta whether the charge sheet in the financial irregularities case under the Prevention of Corruption Act had been filed before the same sessions court, where the earlier charge sheet in the rape-murder incident had been filed. Mehta said it was filed before a CBI court, different from the court trying the rape-murder case.
He said the financial irregularities charge sheet was filed on Nov 29, but the agency had sought sanction for prosecution from the govt on Nov 27. Appearing for the state, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said, "We have received no such communication."
Mehta said Sibal might not be aware of this as the request for sanctions to prosecute Ghosh and Pandey was sent to the concerned in the govt.
The bench asked the state to speed up the request for grant of sanction to prosecute.
Senior advocates Indira Jaising and Karuna Nundy requested the court to monitor implementation of the recommendations of the SC-constituted National Task Force (NTF) to enhance security at hospitals, revise working conditions and work hours of healthcare workers and strengthen the legal framework for grievance redress.
Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.