A Calcutta high court division bench on Tuesday recused itself from hearing the petition for fresh investigation into the rape and murder of a trainee doctor inside Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in 2024, lawyers and the victim’s mother who attended the hearing said.
“The division bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Rai Chattopadhyay recused itself from further hearing on Tuesday after having directed the Central Bureau of Investigation [CBI] to start a fresh probe in April. The case has been redirected to the bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul,” a lawyer said, requesting anonymity.
“Justice Mantha said that it is an important case and the whole world was watching it,” he added.
The development took place weeks after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)during the second phase of Bengal assembly elections campaign promised an inquiry commission to probe the matter, if the party came to power. The BJP won and formed the government on May 9.
The BJP also fielded Ratna Debnath, the victim’s mother who won the Panihati seat in North 24 Parganas district. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah both campaigned for her.
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After Tuesday’s hearing, Debnath said, “I met the Chief Justice. It was a courtesy call. Since Justice Mantha’s bench has recused itself from the hearing the Chief Justice will make the next decision. I will also talk to chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.”
On April 9, the division bench of Justice Mantha granted the CBI permission to re-interrogate Sanjay Roy, a former Kolkata police civic volunteer and sole convict in the case, after hearing the petition filed by the victim’s family.
The bench said the CBI can interrogate other suspects and use modern technology to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the crime as alleged by the family.
The body of the 31-year-old second-year postgraduate student, who was raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the hospital, was found on August 9.
On August 10, Kolkata Police arrested 34-year-old Roy. Amid a nation-wide furore, junior doctors at all state-run hospitals started a cease-work movement demanding justice and accusing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of shielding the real culprits.
On August 13, 2024, the high court ordered the CBI to take over the case from the Kolkata Police. Roy was sentenced to imprisonment for the rest of life in January 2025.
The CBI and Enforcement Directorate also started a parallel probe into alleged corruption at the hospital and arrested several people including the then college principal Dr Sandip Ghosh.
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