The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed profound concern over the Kolkata Police’s delay in registering the unnatural death of a woman doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Describing the situation as “extremely disturbing,” the Court scrutinised the sequence of legal formalities and instructed protesting doctors to return to their duties, assuring them that no punitive action would be taken against them upon their rejoining.
Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, questioned the timeline of the police’s actions.
They highlighted the perplexing delay between the post-mortem, conducted from 6:10 pm to 7:10 pm on August 9, and the registration of the case as an unnatural death, which was reportedly filed at Tala police station only at 11:30 pm on the same day.
"The delay in registering the case is extremely disturbing," the bench remarked and further directed the need for a thorough explanation.
The Court has directed the Kolkata Police officer responsible for the initial case registration to appear at the next hearing and provide details regarding the timing of the entry.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, revealed that the FIR was only lodged at 11:45 pm, after the victim had already been cremated.
Mehta also highlighted discrepancies in the police’s handling of the case, including initially informing the victim's family that her death was a suicide before acknowledging it as murder.
The Supreme Court, in response to the ongoing protests by doctors, urged them to resume work, stressing the importance of maintaining public health services.
“How can public health infrastructure function if doctors do not fulfill their duties?” the bench questioned.
It assured the protesting doctors that no adverse actions would be taken against them once they return to their posts and encouraged them to address any remaining concerns through proper channels.
The Court’s intervention follows widespread protests over the brutal assault and murder of the junior doctor, whose body was discovered with severe injuries in a seminar hall at the state-run hospital.
The case has garnered national attention, leading to the arrest of a civic volunteer on August 10 and the subsequent transfer of the investigation from Kolkata Police to the CBI on August 13.
The CBI commenced its probe on August 14.
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