Kolkata, Aug 13 (UNI) Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered a CBI probe into the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old woman post-graduate trainee doctor at the West Bengal government-run RG Kar Medical College & Hospital premises in North Kolkata.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya transferred the probe from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The judges directed the Kolkata Police to immediately hand over all the documents related to the case to the CBI.
The Division Bench gave the order while adjudicating a batch of petitions including that of the bereaved parents of the victim praying for a CBI probe into the incident to unravel the truth.
'The parents of the victim told the court that they were apprehending that if the SIT probe is allowed to continue in this manner, it will derail the inquiry'.
Appearing for the parents of the deceased, senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya informed the court that his clients first received a phone call claiming their daughter had fallen sick, and upon reaching the college they were told she had committed suicide. They were not allowed to see her body for up to three hours.
The Judges were also told that there were some disturbing and suspected developments in the case. The petitioners said it was registered as an unnatural death case, which was usually done when there was no complaint. When the deceased was a doctor in the same hospital, it was surprising that the Principal didn't complain, they submitted.
On top of that, there had been no significant progress in the SIT investigation. The administration was not with the victim or her family, the petitioners claimed. The Principal of the accused hospital has not even given a statement, they argued.
"Without significant progress in the investigation, we would be well justified in accepting the prayers by the victim's parents that evidence would be destroyed. Therefore we transfer the investigation to the CBI to do justice between the parties and to inspire public confidence," the Judges said in their order.
The SIT only arrested one suspect - Sanjay Roy- a Civic Volunteer even as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee set a Sunday deadline for the Kolkata Police to solve the case. Banerjee had announced she would hand over the case to the CBI if the cops failed to stick to the deadline.
However, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari held that it was a ploy to tamper with the evidence and claimed that it was a bigger conspiracy to suppress the truth and shield some people.
Earlier in the day, the court had asked the state government to submit a status report on the probe. The court questioned the delay in recording the statement of the former Principal and asked what the state government is doing to address the concerns of protesting doctors across the state.
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