Kolkata, 6 February (H.S.): After two unsuccessful attempts to delay the charge-framing process in the multi-crore financial irregularities case at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, former principal Sandip Ghosh and other accused have now approached a division bench of the Calcutta High Court.

The division bench, comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Subhendu Samanta, has accepted their petition and scheduled the hearing for Thursday afternoon.

The accused turned to the division bench after their plea for more time was twice rejected by the single-judge bench. The case involves allegations of financial mismanagement worth crores at the state-run medical institution.

Meanwhile, the charge-framing process is also set to begin at a special court in Kolkata on Thursday afternoon, making it dependent on the division bench’s ruling. The special court will also hear exemption petitions filed by the five accused, including Ghosh.

On Wednesday, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh’s single-judge bench rejected, for the second time, a plea seeking an extension for charge-framing. Earlier, on January 31, Justice Ghosh had dismissed a similar plea, directing the CBI to ensure that the process begins by February 6.

The CBI charge sheet names five individuals—Sandip Ghosh, his assistant-cum-bodyguard Afsar Ali, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra, and junior doctor Ashish Pandey. All five are currently in judicial custody. Given the scale of financial irregularities involved, the outcome of this case is expected to have significant implications.

Hindusthan Samachar / S P Singh