Calcutta HC orders fresh CBI probe in RG Kar case:Seeks re-examination of events on the day of the incident; agency free to question anyone

The Calcutta High Court has ordered an investigation into allegations of a cover-up in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape-murder case. The court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which will be led by the CBI’s Joint Director of the Eastern Region. The SIT has been asked to submit its report by June 25. The court issued the order on a petition filed by the victim’s parents. On March 17 last year, they had accused the CBI of failing to properly investigate the case and of suppressing allegations. The Supreme Court of India had allowed the parents to approach the Calcutta High Court with their plea. A trainee doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Hospital on the night of August 8-9, 2024. Her body was found in the seminar hall on the morning of August 9. On January 20, 2025, a sessions court sentenced accused Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment. The court said the case did not fall under the “rarest of rare” category, and therefore the death penalty could not be awarded. However, the victim’s parents were not satisfied with the investigation. They demanded a further probe to determine whether others besides the main accused, Sanjay Roy, were also involved in the crime. A trainee doctor was raped and murdered on the night of August 8-9, 2024 The rape and murder of a trainee doctor took place on the night of August 8-9, 2024, at RG Kar Hospital. The doctor’s body was found in the seminar hall on the morning of August 9. Based on CCTV footage, police arrested civic volunteer Sanjay Roy on August 10. The incident triggered protests across Kolkata and the country. Health services in Bengal remained disrupted for more than two months. CBI began investigation on High Court’s order After the August 9 incident, doctors of RG Kar Hospital and the victim’s family demanded a CBI probe into the case, but Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not order an investigation. Following the High Court’s order, the probe was handed over to the CBI on August 13. The CBI then started a fresh investigation. 3 made accused, 2 got bail Apart from Sanjay Roy, former principal of the medical college Sandeep Ghosh was also made an accused in the case. However, the CBI failed to file a chargesheet against Ghosh within 90 days, following which the Sealdah Court granted him bail in the case on December 13. On August 25, the CBI, with the help of the central forensic team, conducted polygraph tests of nine accused, including Sanjay, at Kolkata’s Presidency Jail. These included former RG Kar principal Sandeep Ghosh, ASI Anup Dutta, four fellow doctors, one volunteer and two guards. Sanjay was caught through earphones and DNA The task force arrested accused Sanjay Roy within six hours of the investigation beginning. Apart from CCTV footage, police had found a broken Bluetooth earphone in the seminar hall. It was connected to the accused’s phone. The victim’s blood was found on Sanjay’s jeans and shoes. Sanjay’s DNA matched the evidence recovered from the crime scene. The five injury marks found on Sanjay’s body had been inflicted within 24 to 48 hours. These could have been blunt force injuries caused while the victim was trying to defend herself. This helped the police nab Sanjay. 3 things found during the investigation… 1. CBI said the trainee doctor was not gang-raped The CBI identified Sanjay Roy as the sole accused in the case. The agency said the trainee doctor was not gang-raped. The chargesheet included statements of 100 witnesses, reports of 12 polygraph tests, CCTV footage, forensic reports, mobile call details and location data. It also stated that the semen sample and blood found on the victim’s body matched the accused. Small hair strands recovered from the crime scene were also matched with the accused after forensic examination. Sanjay’s earphones were connected through mobile Bluetooth. 2. Forensic report found no signs of struggle on the mattress On December 24, the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) report said no evidence was found in the seminar hall to suggest that the victim was raped and then murdered there. The last lines on page 12 of the report stated that no signs of struggle were found at the spot where the trainee doctor’s body was discovered. No marks of scuffle were found on the mattress either. 3. Postmortem report found deep injuries on private parts ​