Supreme Court To Hear Doctor Rape-Murder Case, Hours After Protesters’ Big Win

admin — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 04:08:02 +0000

A bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra will hear the matter

Kolkata:
The Supreme Court is hearing matters linked to the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud may hear the matter around 10.30 am, according to the cause list

Here are 10 facts from this big story

During the last hearing on September 9, a key document was found missing. The court had asked the West Bengal government’s counsel, Senior Advocate, Kapil Sibal to produce a document that is issued when a body is handed over for autopsy after the inquest. The state government had asked for more time.
Chief Justice said the document was important because it has a column that mentions what clothes and articles were sent along with the body. Justice JB Pardiwala had sought an explanation from the state government and added, “If this document is missing, then something is amiss.”
On September 9, the court had asked the protesting doctors to return to duty by the next day. The court had assured that no action would be taken against the protesting doctors if they joined duty by the deadline.
Junior doctors in Kolkata, however, refused to return to duty and continued their agitation. They said the government and the Supreme Court should not forget that this is a “people’s movement” and refused to join work till their demands were fulfilled.
What followed was a series of mail exchanges between the Mamata Banerjee government in Bengal and the junior doctors’ front. The doctors demanded justice for the victim in the rape-murder case and removal of top officials, including the Kolkata Police Commissioner.
After several meetings were called off over differences on whether the proceedings would be videographed, the Chief Minister and the doctors eventually met yesterday and discussed the protesters’ demands.
Following the meeting, Ms Banerjee announced late last night that they had agreed to most of the doctors’ demands. She said Kolkata police chief Vineet Goyal had agreed to resign and Deputy Commissioner of Police, North, Abhishek Gupta would also be removed. The state government has also agreed to remove two senior health department officials.
The junior doctors have said that the state government accepting their demands was a big victory for the agitation that enters its 39th day today. They have, however, said they would rejoin duty only when the government acts on its assurances.
Between the last Supreme Court hearing and this one, a big development is the CBI slapping evidence tampering charge on Dr Sandip Ghosh, former principal of the state-run college, and the arrest of Tala Police Station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mondal under the same charge.
A postgraduate trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar room of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on the morning of August 9. Medical examination confirmed rape. Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer frequenting the hospital, has been arrested for the heinous crime. The incident shook the nation and sparked massive protests.

Day After Global Protests, Kolkata Rape-Murder Case In Supreme Court Today

admin — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 02:31:26 +0000

Sunday night, thousands gathered in Kolkata and across the globe, demanding justice for the victim.

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court will today hear the case related to the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will oversee the proceedings.

On Sunday night, thousands gathered in Kolkata and across the globe, demanding justice for the victim. These demonstrations were part of a larger wave of protests, organised under the banner of “Reclaim the Night,” a movement calling for safety and justice for women in public spaces.

Supreme Court’s Earlier Hearing

The Supreme Court on August 20 termed the incident “horrific” and took additional measures to address safety concerns within the healthcare sector. The court issued several directives, including the formation of a 10-member National Task Force to develop protocols for ensuring the safety of doctors and healthcare workers across the country.

The court called upon protesting doctors who had been striking in solidarity with the victim to return to work, stating that “justice and medicine cannot be stopped.”

The case initially faced delays, with the Supreme Court, during its hearing on August 22, criticising the Kolkata Police for their sluggish handling of the investigation. It was not until August 13 that the Calcutta High Court intervened, transferring the investigation from the Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI began its probe the following day, August 14.

The victim’s body was discovered in a seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College on August 9, bearing severe injuries. A civic volunteer was arrested the next day in connection with the crime, but the investigation has since widened, resulting in the arrest of the college’s former principal as well.

Protests Worldwide

From the streets of Kolkata to the cities of Europe, Asia, and the United States, the global Indian community rallied for justice Sunday night. Over 130 protests took place in 25 countries, including major cities like Stockholm, Sydney, and New York. Protesters – many clad in black -held vigils, sang in Bengali, and chanted slogans in solidarity with the victim.

The streets of Kolkata were transformed into protest sites as men and women, young and old, took to the streets to demand justice. From forming human chains to holding burning torches, protesters expressed their anger and sorrow for the victim, who they symbolically named “Tilottama” or “Abhaya.”

“Whenever I think about the torment, the pain experienced by my daughter on that night, I shudder. She had dreams to serve society. Now, all these protesters are my children,” the victim’s mother said at a rally in Kolkata, as quoted by news agency PTI.

A 14-kilometre-long human chain stretching from Shyambazar in North Kolkata to the suburb of Sodepur was also organised. Thousands of citizens, including rival football fans from East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, and Mohammedan Sporting, stood shoulder to shoulder, united in their call for justice.

Centre vs State

Amid the protests, a political clash has emerged between the Centre and the West Bengal government, with the former accusing the state of “unpardonable” non-cooperation in extending logistical support to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which was tasked with providing security at RG Kar Medical College. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, in its application to the Supreme Court, has called the lack of cooperation from the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) government “symptomatic of a systemic malaise.”

The Centre has urged the top court to direct the West Bengal government to fully cooperate with the CISF, failing which it has requested contempt proceedings against the officials responsible for non-compliance