New Delhi:
The shocking rape-murder of a young doctor in Kolkata that has hit the country hard, has been taken up by the Supreme Court. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud will hear the matter today.
Here are the top 10 points in this story:
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The case – being investigated by the CBI — has thrown up multiple issues including sanctity of evidence, rule of law, safety of healthcare professionals and the big picture issue of women’s security in the workplace. It has also put the ruling Trinamool Congress under pressure, with women – the staunch constituency of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee – being up in arms.
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The probe was handed to the Central Bureau of Investigation a week ago after an order from the Calcutta High Court. The court’s decision came after the woman’s parents, unhappy with the police investigation, filed an appeal. The order overrode an assurance by the Chief Minister that the Central agency will be called in if the police failed to crack the case by August 18.
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The case took a massive political turn after the Mamata Banerjee government transferred the RG Kar Medical College Principal Sandip Ghosh a few hours after he resigned. Stung by adverse comments on social media, Ghosh had stepped down not just from the post, but also government service. He has been sent on long leave by the High Court.
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Making its displeasure clear, the High Court said, “Even assuming the resignation was not accepted, the least that can be expected from a responsible higher official of the concerned department is to immediately relieve the Principal from his duties and not assign him any other duty of equal responsibility”.
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Questions have been raised against the police handling of the case since the beginning — including the delay in allowing the women’s parents to see the body, the postmortem report, and the prompt arrest of a civic volunteer.
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While ordering a CBI probe, the High Court had said, “Even after a lapse of five days there appears to be no significant progress in the investigation… we would be well-justified in accepting the plea raised by the writ petitioners, more particularly, the parents of the victim that there is every possibility that the evidence will be destroyed and the witnesses will be influenced”.
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The postmortem report said the woman’s body bore 16 external and nine internal injuries. There was no word about any broken bones, rumours about which had flooded social media. There was no mention of 150 mg semen or gangrape, though on and off the record, doctors have commented that it is not possible for one attacker to inflict such grievous injuries.
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The BJP has been alleging that the administration and the police have colluded in a massive cover-up. Their allegation got a boost after a midnight attack on the hospital on August 15, as the statewide women’s “Reclaim the Night” demonstration was on. As the 40-plus mob wrecked the emergency department, the BJP said it was another attempt at obliterating evidence.
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After a 36-hour shift, the second-year postgrad had gone to an empty seminar room alone on Thursday night to get some rest as the hospital has no on-call room. Her partially clothed body, bearing multiple injuries, was found there the next morning. The prime suspect is Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police who was stationed at the police outpost at the hospital and had access to all departments.
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The CBI has now been questioning Sandip Ghosh – there have been four sessions. The accused will also undergo lie-detector test soon, sources have said. Turning up the heat, Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said, “It has been five days and there has not been a single update from the CBI. Also, the only arrest in the case is the accused caught by Kolkata Police”.
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