The Supreme Court has taken suo-motu cognisance of the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The case is set to be heard by a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Tuesday.
According to the cause list for August 20, uploaded on the apex court’s website, a bench headed by CJI Chandrachud is scheduled to hear a matter titled ‘In Re: Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, and related issues.’ The Supreme Court’s intervention comes in the wake of mounting public pressure and allegations of mishandling by State authorities.
Earlier two lawyers practising in the Supreme Court —Ujjawal Gaur and Rohit Pandey, penned a letter to the CJI on Thursday, urging him to take immediate action in the case.
In their letter, the advocates emphasised the urgent need for the highest court in the country to step in, given the gravity and seriousness of the incident.
“The nation looks to the judiciary as the ultimate guardian of justice, the last refuge for those whose cries have been silenced by brutality.
“The victim in this case, a young doctor whose life was dedicated to serving others, deserves nothing less than the full measure of justice that our legal system can provide. Her death must not be in vain, it must galvanise us to act, to ensure that no other woman suffers such a fate,” stated the letter.
“The time has come for the judiciary to send a clear and resounding message that such heinous crimes will not be tolerated, that the sanctity of life and the dignity of women must be fiercely protected by the full might of the law,” it said.
The Calcutta High Court recently transferred the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI.
The case has raised serious concerns about the safety of medical professionals in India, particularly women, who are often left vulnerable in their workplaces.
Doctors and other medical staff have been protesting in different parts of the country affecting the functioning of health facilities. They are pressing for a central law to check violence against healthcare personnel, declaring hospitals safe zones with mandatory s security entitlements among other demands.
Marking a week of the indefinite protest over the rape and murder of a medic in Kolkata on Sunday, doctors continued their strike in the national capital, causing disruption of services and affecting patients.
In the action plan for Sunday, members of the Delhi resident doctors’ association (RDA) took out a candle march outside Gate 1 of Rajiv Chowk Metro Station at 6 pm with medical workers holding placards and demanding justice for the victim.
“As approved in today’s general body meeting, residents from all medical colleges and institutions in Delhi will gather for a candle march protest in Connaught Place,” a statement from the GTB Hospital RDA read.
“We will assemble in groups of 3-4 at Gate No. 1, Rajiv Chowk Metro Station, form a human chain, and light candles at the inner circle to raise awareness about the tragic incident at RG Kar Medical College, Kolkata,” it added.
The indefinite strike by doctors started on Monday and is now in its seventh day. Both private and government hospitals have joined the protest, fighting for justice for the victim and demanding a security act for doctors.
Meanwhile, the move continues to hinder patients to access medical care who come to the city to access health care services. Non-emergency services, such as OPD and diagnostics, and elective surgeries at city-based health facilities, including at Centre-run AIIMS, Safdarjung Hospital and RML Hospital, are hit since Monday.
Many patients who were turned away by hospitals expressed their frustration even as they claimed to sympathise with the cause. Inconvenience of patients further increased as personnel of private institutions such as Sir Ganga Ram, Fortis, and Apollo also joined protests on Sunday following a call by apex doctors’ body Indian Medical Association (IMA) for a 24-hour nationwide withdrawal of non-emergency services.
Earlier, the Union Home Ministry has asked all state police forces to provide it situation reports every two hours in the wake of protests by doctors, nursing staff and others against the alleged rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. In a communication to the state police forces, the home ministry said that the law and order situation of all states should be monitored in view of the protests. “Henceforth, a continuous two-hourly law and order situation report in this regard may kindly be sent to the MHA control room (New Delhi) by Fax/ Email/ WhatsApp from 1600 hours today,” the communication sent on Friday said.
The horrific crime, which occurred on August 9, has sparked nationwide outrage, leading to widespread protests and strikes by medical professionals across the country.
Autopsy reports confirmed that the victim had been raped and strangled, with multiple injuries suggesting a violent struggle. The police swiftly arrested a civic volunteer from the Kolkata Police as the prime suspect, with DNA evidence linking him to the crime.
However, the victim’s family and protestors allege that the crime was a gang rape, and they demand a thorough investigation to ensure all culprits are brought to justice. An autopsy has confirmed that the victim was sexually assaulted before her death.
