TERMING the rape and murder case of a medic at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital as horrific, the Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the West Bengal government over delay in filing FIR in the matter. Taking suo motu cognisance of the case, the top court said this incident raises systematic issue regarding safety of doctor across India. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which had taken cognisance of the incident, said if women are not able to go to work and working conditions are not safe, we are denying them equality. The top court slammed the West Bengal Government over delay in filing FIR in the rape-murder case, and asked what were hospital authorities doing. “It appears crime was detected in early hours, medical college principal tried to pass it off as suicide,” the bench comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra observed. The bench rapped the Kolkata Police and asked how a mob of thousands entered the RG Kar Medical College. When the conduct of the R G Kar Hospital’s principal was under scrutiny, how was he appointed to another college immediately, it asked. The top court said the power of the West Bengal Government should not be unleashed on protestors as its time of national catharsis. The apex court said most young doctors are putting in 36 hours of work and there was a need to evolve national protocol to ensure safe conditions at workplace. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said West Bengal should not be in denial mode and there was a complete failure of law and order in State. He said a mob of 7,000 people cannot enter the hospital without knowledge of the Kolkata Police.

 

The suo motu cognisance of the case, titled “In Re: Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and related issue”, assumes significance in view of the fact that Calcutta High Court is already in action and has transferred the probe into the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The doctors’ strike over the rape and murder of the medic completed a week on Sunday and is now entering its second week, causing difficulties for patients. Calcutta HC allows BJP to stage demonstration near hospital: THE Calcutta High Court on Tuesday allowed the West Bengal unit of the BJP to stage a demonstration near the state-run R. G. Kar Medical College & Hospital against the rape and murder of a woman doctor of the medical facility. Being denied the police permission to stage protest demonstrations at Shyambazar five-point crossing which is quite close to the said hospital, the state unit of BJP had moved the Calcutta High Court.

 

A single-judge bench of Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj granted the BJP permission to stage the demonstration for five days, beginning Wednesday. Justice Bhardwaj has also fixed the time limit for the demonstration from 12 noon to 9 p.m. Incidentally, the state unit of BJP had planned a protest demonstration at Shyambazar five-point crossing on August 16, and accordingly, they had set up a temporary dais there for that purpose. However, on the same morning, the cops of Kolkata Police demolished that dais, after which the BJP workers started raising another dais at the same spot. However, when the police stopped them from doing so, a scuffle broke out between them. Soon after that Kolkata Police enforced Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, around R.G. Kar Hospital for seven days starting from August 18, barring all sorts of gatherings, protests, or rallies there during that period. Later, the BJP approached Justice Bhardwaj’s bench seeking permission which was granted. Welcoming the Calcutta High Court order, the state BJP leaders said that it has become a common practice in West Bengal, where the opposition parties have to approach the court for permission to conduct peaceful political programmes.