CBI will present the progress report of the investigation of Kolkata rape-murder case in Supreme Court today
Today, the Supreme Court will get a progress report from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about their investigation into the horrific rape and murder of a female trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
After taking up the issue on its own, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and made up of Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra heard the case on Tuesday, August 20. Protests and national indignation have been triggered by the violent rape and murder of the thirty-one-year-old postgraduate doctor.
During the hearing on Tuesday, the highest court chastised the Bengali government for a number of mishandled aspects of the case and for not intervening to prevent damage at the state-run hospital and medical college. Today, the Bengali government is scheduled to provide a status report about the progress of the vandalism probe.
On August 13, the Calcutta High Court noted “serious lapses” by the RG Kar hospital management and handed over the investigation into the rape-murder case to the CBI.
SUMMARY OF SUPREME COURT’S EARLIER HEARING
During Tuesday’s hearing, the top court severely criticized the Bengal government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital for the way they handled the rape-murder. The judge criticized the hospital administration and Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the previous principal, for the delay in filing a First Information Report (FIR) and questioned why it was done so many hours after the patient was cremated.
The bench also criticized the authorities for requiring the victim’s parents to wait three hours in order to see her corpse.
The victim’s identity and photos being circulated in the media deeply concerned Chief Justice Chandrachud. He said that there is no equality concept without the protection of female physicians, making it a question of national interest.
The Supreme Court further chastised the Bengali government for designating Dr. Ghosh as the head of RG Kar hospital only hours after he resigned as principal of another reputable state-run medical college and hospital.
A ten-member National Task Force (NTF) was also established by the court to recommend safe working conditions for healthcare workers.
BODIES OF DOCTORS MOVE SUPREME COURT
The Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) has petitioned the Supreme Court for temporary safeguarding of physicians till the National Task Force’s recommendations are put into effect.
According to the petition, because implementation would take some time, physicians should be given certain interim protections, such as CCTV monitoring in all areas of a medical college or hospital that are sensitive (entrance and exit gates, hallways, and hostels).
“After this horrifying tragedy, doctors—especially women doctors—are afraid. Security is required since their families aren’t letting them work at night,” the petition said.
The National Federation of Resident physicians of AIIMS has brought the concerns of several resident physicians at AIIMS throughout the nation to the attention of the highest court via an intervention plea.
Additionally, the application requested that physicians follow temporary measures until the NTF’s recommendations are put into practice.
