‘Have not come across in 30 years’: SC raises concern over state govt’s role in Kolkata rape-murder case

As the Supreme Court on Thursday (Aug 22) resumed hearing on the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Thursday, Justice JB Pardiwala said that he has not come across the kind of procedure followed by the state government of West Bengal in his 30 years of life. 

Meanwhile, as the hearing proceeded, Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, urged the protesting doctors to return to work, assuring that no action would be taken against them. 

“The entire procedure followed by your state (West Bengal) is something which I have not come across in the 30 years of my life. The first thing is, is it true that the UD (unnatural death) was recorded at 10.30 hours (10.30 am)? Second, who is this assistant superintendent non-medical (person), her conduct is also very doubtful. Why did she act in this manner?,” asked Justice Pardiwala while slamming the West Bengal government. 

The apex court also interjected to claim that 150 gm of semen was found, saying, “We have the actual autopsy report before us, and we know what the 150 gm refers to. Please don’t use social media to make your arguments.”

Further, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its status report to the Supreme Court, said that the crime scene was altered and the victim’s family was misled about their daughter’s death by showing it off as a suicide. 

Grilling the state government, Justice Pardiwala said, “When you took the dead body for post-mortem (PM), then was it a case of unnatural death or not…if it was not unnatural death, then what was the need of PM?”

When asked to furnish the medical report of the accused, CBI said they did not have it as the crime scene was altered.

Watch | Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: Autopsy report reveals gruesome details

“We didn’t know there was such a report, we entered the investigation on the fifth day, and everything was altered,” said CBI, to which the WB government counsel replied: “Everything is videographed not altered.”

The CJI stressed that working for 36 hours is not good, adding that there is a hierarchical nature of public hospitals and junior doctors are susceptible to different kinds of harassment, not just sexual harassment. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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