SC refuses to transfer RG Kar trial out of Bengal
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to transfer the trial of the rape and murder case of a junior doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal. The plea for relocation was placed before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Unlike previous cases, such as the Manipur violence case, the court decided against transferring the trial out of West Bengal.
Court dismisses argument of eroding public faith
"We are not doing anything like that here. No such transfer," the bench said. The lawyer pleading for the transfer said "people of West Bengal are losing faith in police and judiciary." However, CJI Chandrachud rejected the claim saying, "Do not talk about people. Whom are you appearing for now? Do not make such general statements."
CBI takes over investigation, charges filed
Following widespread indignation and protests, the Calcutta High Court first transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). A trial court in West Bengal recently filed criminal charges for rape and murder against accused Sanjay Roy in the case. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is looking into larger issues of workplace safety for medical professionals via a suo motu case.
National Task Force report on medical professionals' safety
During earlier hearings, the court ordered the establishement of a National Task Force (NTF) to look into these issues. On Thursday, it submitted a report with recommendations to safeguard medical professionals from violence. Advocate Kanu Agrawal, appearing for the Central government, said the report contains short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures. The Supreme Court then directed that this report be shared with stakeholders for feedback within three weeks.
