New Delhi, 17th Sept. The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report on its investigation into alleged financial irregularities at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where a trainee doctor was raped and murdered last month.
A bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, reviewed the CBI’s report on the incident but withheld details, citing potential disruption to the ongoing investigation. “Revealing leads would be detrimental to the probe,” the court stated, further acknowledging input from the victim’s father, which the CBI has been asked to consider.
The court, however, rejected a request to stop the live streaming of proceedings in the case, with the bench emphasizing the public interest in keeping the trial transparent. “The public must know what is happening in the courtroom,” said the court, despite concerns raised by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the West Bengal government, regarding threats to women lawyers following the livestream.
The bench also questioned the state’s “Rattierer Saathi” policy, which recommended that women doctors avoid night shifts and limited their working hours to 12 hours. The court objected, stating that such restrictions would hinder the careers of women doctors. The West Bengal government agreed to withdraw the controversial notification following the court’s concerns.
