The Supreme Court has raised serious concerns regarding the timeline and procedures followed by West Bengal Police in the Kolkata rape-murder case. The Apex Court termed “extremely disturbing” the Kolkata Police’s delay in registering the unnatural death of the woman doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
It also asked protesting doctors to resume work and assured them that no adverse action would be taken after they rejoin. During the hearing, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice J.B. Pardiwala questioned the sequence of events, particularly the delay in registering the case as an unnatural death and the timing of the postmortem.
The CBI, now handling the investigation, informed the court that the crime scene was tampered with, complicating the investigation. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta highlighted that the first FIR was filed only after the victim’s cremation, raising further suspicions.
It said it was very surprising that the postmortem of the deceased was conducted on August 9 between 6.10 pm to 7.10 pm before the registration of the case as unnatural death.
“How was it that the post-mortem was conducted at 6.10 pm on August 9 and yet the unnatural death information was sent to Tala police station at 11.30 pm on August 9. This is extremely disturbing,” the bench said.
“The entire procedure followed by your State is something which I have not come across in the 30 years of my career,” Justice Pardiwala observed.
During the hearing of a petition filed by an AIIMS resident doctor, CJI Chandrachud stated that doctors absent from duty would be marked as such, urging them to return to work. The court emphasised that the law will take its course and that patient care should not be disrupted. Despite AIIMS doctors mentioning their grievances about being victimized during the strike, the CJI reiterated that they must resume duty, as an expert committee has been formed to address their concerns.
In a significant development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Bengal Police have submitted their investigation reports to the Supreme Court in sealed envelopes regarding the brutal murder and rape of a doctor in Kolkata.
