Kolkata, 02 July (H.S.) : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has received approval from the West Bengal government to proceed with framing charges against former R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh in the multi-crore financial irregularities case, paving the way for the long-pending trial to move forward.

The approval, granted on Wednesday, removes a key procedural hurdle that had delayed the commencement of proceedings before the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court. According to the ED, the previous state government had not granted the mandatory sanction required to frame charges against Ghosh, who held a senior government position at the time of the alleged offences.

Following the change in government, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had announced that all obstacles to investigations in both the RG Kar financial irregularities case and the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at the hospital would be removed to ensure a speedy trial and justice.

The ED informed the Special PMLA Court that the state government had now granted the required approval, enabling the charge-framing process against Ghosh to begin.

The case was initially investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which arrested Ghosh during its probe. Subsequently, the ED initiated a parallel investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and named Ghosh as one of the principal accused in its first chargesheet.

However, despite the filing of the chargesheet, the trial could not proceed because the mandatory sanction from the state Health Department had not been issued. Under the applicable legal provisions, prior approval from the state government is required before prosecuting a public servant who held a significant government office.

Besides Ghosh, the ED's first chargesheet also named media equipment contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra as accused in the alleged financial irregularities. The CBI has also filed a separate chargesheet in the case.

With the required sanction now in place, the Special PMLA Court is expected to resume proceedings and formally initiate the trial against the accused.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh