Kolkata, 19 May (H.S.) : A newly constituted division bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising Justice Shampa Sarkar and Justice Tirthankar Ghosh will hear on Tuesday the case related to the 2024 rape and murder of a woman doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.

According to the court’s cause list, the hearing is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

The matter was referred to the new bench after the earlier division bench headed by Justice Rajasekhar Mantha recused itself from hearing the case on May 12, observing that the “important case needs to be heard quickly.” Subsequently, Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, on May 15, assigned the matter to the new bench of Justice Sarkar and Justice Ghosh.

As per the order of the Chief Justice, all related petitions, including a plea filed by the victim’s family seeking permission to visit the crime scene, will now be heard together by the new bench.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the case, did not oppose the victim’s family’s request to visit the crime scene. However, the then state government had objected to the plea.

During previous hearings, the earlier bench had questioned the state government’s stance, particularly in light of the CBI’s lack of objection.

In a recent development, the state government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari reportedly suspended former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal and two deputy commissioners, Indira Mukherjee and Abhishek Gupta, over alleged lapses in the initial investigation conducted by city police before the probe was handed over to the CBI by the Calcutta High Court.

Adhikari also announced that the state government has granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to prosecute former R.G. Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh in connection with financial irregularities linked to the institution. However, this permission is limited to the financial irregularities case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation is conducting parallel investigations into both the financial irregularities case and the rape and murder case at the same hospital premises, which occurred in August 2024.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh