The Supreme Court questioned the time, order, and sequencing of the registration of the unnatural death case and postmortem after reviewing the report submitted by the Kolkata police. The SC has promised that physicians who are on strike won’t face any repercussions and has urged them to go back to work. On Thursday, the supreme court began deliberating on cases pertaining to the purported sexual assault and killing of a female physician at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Following suo-moto cognisance of the case, the Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, chastised the West Bengal government, the state police, and the former principal of the institution, Sandip Kumar Ghosh, at the case’s Tuesday hearing. The bench also questioned Ghosh’s involvement, stating that it appeared an attempt was made to disguise the murder as a suicide.
Two primary suspects have been subjected to CBI interrogations: Ghosh and Sanjay Roy, the civic volunteer who is the principal accused. The central agency turned over the investigation from the Kolkata police, and it has since sent the highest court the 3D scanned crime scene, documents, and video footage. With the help of specialists, the crime scene was duplicated multiple times and samples were gathered. The accused’s movements as captured on CCTV have also been examined.
The Supreme Court bench has gone for lunch break. Justice Burjor Pardiwala asked Kolkata Police regarding the registration of case and postmortem timing, “The Criminal Code of Procedure does not prescribe…entire procedure followed by police is something I have not come across in 30 years…Is it true that postmortem preceded the registration of UD case.”
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for West Bengal government tells SC, “If any protest is done, then they must tell us, which route must followed. They carry flag and once the flag is removed there is a stick. There is a Standard Operating Procedure which has to be followed…Now its collateral event..its unrelated to what happened.”
CJI reads out case diary and says it is very clear”…It shows that the UD case is registered after he returns to the police station…”
The Supreme Court orders the Kolkata Police officer who initially reported the rape-murder incidence to show up at the following session in order to provide the timing.
The bench of the Supreme Court questions the West Bengal government about when the FIR was filed following the death of the junior doctor, age 31. Senior attorney Kapil Sibal, who is representing the West Bengal government, is questioned by the SC: “If this isn’t a case of unnatural death, then why was it taken for postmortem?The postmortem period lasts from 18:10 to 19:10. Why was it decided to register as an unnatural death case at 23:30?At 23:30, a UD case was filed at the Thala police station, and at 23:40, a formal complaint was filed.Unexpectedly, the postmortem comes before the UD registration.There is something worrisome if this is the case.
