SC to resume hearing RG Kar Medical College suo moto case on Monday

New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) The Supreme Court is slated to continue hearing on Monday the matter where it has taken suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata last month.

A 3-judge bench, headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud will consider the status report of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), apart from the Centre’s application seeking direction to the West Bengal government to extend full cooperation to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) deputed at the R.G. Kar Medical College.

In the alternative, the Centre has prayed to the apex court to initiate contempt proceedings against the erring officials of the West Bengal government for “wilful non-compliance” with the order passed by the apex court.

The Bench, also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, could not assemble on September 5 due to the non-availability of CJI Chandrachud.

In a hearing held on August 22, the Supreme Court asked the CBI to continue the investigation, apart from taking on record the status report filed by the CBI as well by the Kolkata Police in relation to the vandalisation of the hospital premises on the night of August 14.

Further, it asked the National Task Force (NTF), set up by the government on its direction, to give a hearing to diverse medical associations while formulating effective recommendations relating to the safety, working conditions and well-being of doctors and medical professionals.

Hearing the matter on August 20, the CJI-led bench termed the incident “horrific”, which raises the “systemic issue of safety of doctors across the country”.

“We are deeply concerned with the fact that there is an absence of safe conditions of work for young doctors across the country, particularly, public hospitals,” it said.

In a related matter, the top court had on Friday refused to entertain a plea filed by Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, challenging the CBI probe into the alleged financial irregularities at the state-run institute during his tenure.

The CJI Chandrachud-led Bench said that as an accused, Ghosh had no locus to intervene in PIL proceedings when the Calcutta High Court is monitoring the investigation and has entrusted the probe to the CBI. It said that only “prima facie” observations were made by the Calcutta HC, where the issue of biomedical waste was a “trigger”. “We cannot order CBI to investigate only this and nothing else, which could be likely an offence,” it said, clarifying that it would not stultify the CBI probe.

–IANS

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