The Calcutta High Court on Monday questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about key aspects of its probe into the rape and murder of a resident doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in August last year.
The Court was hearing a petition filed by the doctor’s parents, requesting a fresh investigation into the case.
Justice Tirthanker Ghosh directed the CBI to clarify on the next hearing:
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Whether the charges suggested the involvement of a single accused or a gang rape.
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Whether Section 70 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was considered, particularly if multiple suspects were involved.
With the first chargesheet already submitted, the Court pressed for updates on the second chargesheet and further investigations. However, it specified that only case diaries would be reviewed, not a formal report.
The Calcutta High Court had handed the case over to the CBI in August 2024 for priority investigation. The 31-year-old junior doctor’s death at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital led to widespread outrage and the resignation of the college principal, Dr. Sandip Ghosh.
Ghosh was arrested by the CBI on September 2, following allegations of financial irregularities and evidence mishandling in the case. However, a Kolkata court granted him bail on December 13, 2024, after the CBI failed to submit the chargesheet within 90 days.
In January 2025, the trial court convicted and sentenced the prime accused, Sanjay Roy, to life imprisonment for rape and murder after an in-camera trial lasting 57 days. Roy, a civic volunteer with the city police, was arrested on August 10, 2024, a day after the incident.
The High Court, in February 2025, rejected the State government’s appeal for Roy’s death penalty, ruling that only the CBI, which handled the investigation and prosecution, could file such an appeal. The Court, however, permitted the CBI to pursue the case for the death penalty.
