Today is the second day when the hearing on the RG Kar incident has taken place in the apex court of India.
From the onset of the hearing, the role of the state machinery is under question.
Two reports were submitted in the apex court today. Central Bureau of Investigation's status report on its investigation and the vandalisation which took place in RG Kar hospital on the night of August 14.
Supreme Court's next hearing in the case will take place on September 5.
Some key takeaways from today’s hearing on RG Kar case:
1. SC questions the timeline presented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is representing the State, in the case.
2. At 11.30pm on August 9 a case of UD (unnatural death) was registered. Although a GD was filed in the morning around 10.10am, saying someone was found ‘unconscious’ in the hospital, while the victim was already dead.
3. Kolkata Police officials who had investigated the case earlier need to be present in the next hearing in SC. (Supposedly, an indication towards KP Commissioner Vineet Goyal). SC has some queries for the Police officials involved in the inquest.
4. Judge JB Pardiwala underscores that he has not seen such a case in his career of 30 years. The manner in which Kolkata Police handled the case, it raises questions on their credibility, said the judge.
5. Hospital authorities did not file an FIR. An FIR was filed on the victim’s parent’s request when the PGT doctor was cremated.
6. Highlight: The timeline of the case suggests that an 'unnatural death' case (not FIR) was registered after a preliminary investigation and post-mortem had already taken place. This means both the Kolkata Police’s inquest and the post-mortem happened on the basis of a GD.
After the victim’s body was cremated, Kolkata Police filed an unnatural death case (still not an FIR).
Observation: Even after the post-mortem and their own inquest, the Kolkata Police could not decipher that the victim had been raped and murdered.
7. Around 70 doctors and interns of RG Kar have complained of feeling unsafe in the hospital premises. Owing to which CISF would be deployed as advised by the SC.
8. CBI mentioned in the court that the place of occurrence of crime had been changed. Owing to which they are facing problems in carrying out their investigation.
9. SC requested the doctors to resume work. It assured that no adverse action will be taken against them once they rejoin.
This hearing stems from an incident in Kolkata where a 31-year-old PGT doctor was raped and murdered inside the seminar hall of state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital which led to a nationwide protests demanding justice for the victim. The incident has also raised concerns on the safety of doctors.
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