RG Kar case: Calcutta HC directs CBI to submit case diary of Kolkata Police

The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit the case diary initially prepared by the Kolkata Police in connection with the rape-murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

A single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh also instructed the CBI to present a list of individuals interviewed in the case at the next hearing scheduled for April 23.

The CBI submitted a sealed status report on its ongoing probe into the incident, where the doctor's body was discovered in the seminar room of the hospital on August 9, 2024.

The court had transferred the case from Kolkata Police to the CBI on August 13.

The CBI counsel said he also brought the case diary as directed by the court during the previous hearing.

During the hearing, the court inquired whether the crime involved gang rape and if the CBI had identified additional suspects.

Deputy solicitor general Rajdeep Majumdar, appearing for the CBI, said the case did not fall under Section 70 (gang rape) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

He informed the court that forensic tests had been conducted on all available DNA samples from the crime scene, and a 14-member medical board comprising doctors from hospitals across the country had been constituted.

He said no forensic evidence had established a case of gang rape and that DNA profiling was conducted only on convicted accused Sanjay Roy.

Majumdar said apart from these reports, the CBI also investigated every aspect in the case and examined a number of doctors, nurses, staff and other people.

The court noted inconsistencies between the inquest and postmortem reports.

Justice Ghosh pointed out that two injury marksone on the belly and another on the ring fingerwere mentioned in the inquest report but were absent in the post-mortem examination report.

Asked about the CBI's current focus, Majumdar said the agency was investigating whether there was a larger conspiracy behind the crime and if there had been any attempt to destroy evidence.

One Sanjay Roy has been convicted and sentenced to life term till the end of his natural life by the Sealdah sessions court for the rape-murder of the doctor.

Justice Ghosh said the court wanted to know how the agency was progressing in its investigation and whether there were any stumbling blocks in its progress.

Asked by the court what the CBI was doing currently, Majumdar said the agency was probing whether there was any larger conspiracy in the crime.

He added that the CBI was also probing the role of various hospital staff and officials in the aftermath of the crime and whether there was any deliberate effort to cover up evidence.

However, the CBI has filed an appeal seeking an enhancement of his sentence, which is currently pending before a division bench of the high court.

When asked how long the investigation would take, Majumdar said that the agency could not commit to a specific timeframe.