Calcutta High Court Directs RG Kar Victim's Parents To Approach Trial Court Seeking Permission For Counsel To Visit Crime Scene

The Calcutta High Court has directed the parents of the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered at Kolkata's RG Kar hospital to approach the Trial Court seeking permission for their newly engaged counsel to visit the scene of occurence, barring the seminar room where the incident took place.Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed the parties to approach the trial court upon noting that the periodic reports in the case were being filed before it and that the CBI did not have an objection to the request of the victim's parents.Senior counsel appearing for the state, however, expressed his objections over the request made by the parents of the victim.Counsel stated that without any decision on further investigation or reinvestigation in the case, the writ court could not be approached for such relief.It was submitted that if the parents had reservations about the probe of the CBI, then they would have to pray for a reinvestigation and agree to set aside the findings of the present investigation.It was further submitted that the counsel of the victim had no right to visit the crime scene in such cases and that in the absence of a prayer for reinvestigation or further investigation, such a relief cannot be sought.Accordingly, the court relegated the matter before the ACJM, Sealdah, and directed the parties to take out an application before him for the aforesaid reliefs.BackgroundThe incident, which occurred in August 2024, caused great furore across the country, with the High Court transferring the matter to the CBI, which filed its chargesheet before the sessions court. The matter even travelled up to the Supreme Court, which took it up suo moto to frame guidelines for workplace safety of doctors and to monitor the investigation.In the aftermath of the gruesome incident, there were protests across Kolkata, and the whole country, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice.The Calcutta High Court in a PIL, transferred the investigation to the CBI, who took over from the West Bengal CID which had arrested the main accused Sanjoy Roy in the rape-murder case.Various cases were filed before the Calcutta High Court, which also handed over the investigation into the alleged malfeasance and corruption by former principal Sandip Ghosh to the CBI.Cases were also filed against the Officer-in-charge of the jurisdictional police station who had registered the case as one of 'unnatural death' pointing to the fact that the victim may have committed suicide, in alleged connivance with the former principal.However, since the CBI was unable to file a chargesheet in a timely manner against the principal and OC, they were granted bail.Thus, the only remaining accused in the case against whom chargesheet had been filed by the CBI, was principal accused Sanjoy Roy, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the trial court.Case No: WPA/30365/2024 Case: X AND ANR VS UNION OF INDIA AND ORS.

Calcutta High Court Directs RG Kar Victim's Parents To Approach Trial Court Seeking Permission For Counsel To Visit Crime Scene

Srinjoy Das

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