Supreme Court Transfers Suo Motu Proceedings On RG Kar Doctor Rape-Murder Case To Calcutta High Court

The Supreme Court today transferred to the Calcutta High Court the suo motu case it had initiated in connection with the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, for monitoring the implementation of the orders passed by it in the case.A bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma directed that the High Court would henceforth oversee compliance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court while dealing with the matter.“We deem it appropriate to refer matter to a Division bench of the Calcutta High Court with a request to the Chief Justice to place the matter before an appropriate bench. Registry to transmit all the matters to the Calcutta High Court”, the Court ordered.The Court also directed the CBI to give the status reports regarding the investigation, which were submitted to the Court, to the parents of the victim.The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident, which took place in August 2024, amid nationwide protests by doctors and medical associations seeking accountability and safety at workplaces. During the course of the proceedings, the Court passed various orders concerning the investigation and related issues arising out of the incident.On August 20, 2024, the Supreme Court recorded serious deficiencies in public hospitals, including lack of resting rooms for doctors on night duty, absence of separate duty rooms for men and women, prolonged 36-hour duties without basic hygiene facilities, shortage of security personnel, inadequate toilet facilities, poor transport arrangements for doctors residing away from hospitals, absence or malfunctioning of CCTV cameras, unrestricted access of patients and attendants to hospital premises, lack of screening for weapons at entrances, and poorly lit areas within hospitals.To address these issues, the Court constituted a ten-member National Task Force headed by Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, Director General Medical Services (Navy), to make recommendations on the safety, working conditions and well-being of medical professionals.The Supreme Court had urged the State not to subject the protesting doctors to coercive action. The Court had also sought regular status reports on the progress of the probe and compliance with its directions.With the transfer of the suo motu case, the Calcutta High Court will now monitor the implementation of the Supreme Court's orders in the suo motu case.The Calcutta High Court had transferred the investigation in the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. In January this year, a sessions court in Kolkata's Sealdah sentenced prime accused Sanjoy Roy to life imprisonment in the RG Kar rape and murder case, after he was convicted on January 18 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 64 (rape), 66 (causing injury resulting in the death of rape victim), and 103 (1) (murder).Case no. – SMW(Crl.) 2/2024Case Title – In Re : Alleged Rape and Murder of Trainee Doctor in RG Kar Medical College Hospital Kolkata and related issues

Supreme Court Transfers Suo Motu Proceedings On RG Kar Doctor Rape-Murder Case To Calcutta High Court

Amisha Shrivastava

Tags