Supreme Court defers RG Kar rape, murder case hearing till November

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred till November its hearing on the suo-motu case in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

On January 20, a Kolkata trial court awarded convict Sanjay Roy "life term imprisonment till death" in the case. The heinous crime triggered nationwide outrage and prolonged protests in West Bengal.

A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma adjourned the matter as it was busy in a part heard matter.

Senior advocate Karuna Nandy, representing the Association of Junior and Senior Doctors, submitted that doctors who took part in peaceful protests were being called for interrogation by the police and requested the bench to give an early date for hearing.

The apex court, even after the primary conviction, is monitoring multiple ancillary issues, including regularising the unauthorised absence of doctors.

The body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the hospital's seminar room on August 9 last year. Kolkata police arrested Roy, a civic volunteer, the next day.

While taking suo motu notice of the case, the bench constituted a National Task Force (NTF) on August 20 last year to formulate a protocol to ensure safety and security of medical professionals in the wake of the crime.

In November last year, the NTF in its report - part of the Central government's affidavit - said a separate central law to deal with offences against healthcare professionals was not required.

The panel said state laws had adequate provisions to address minor offences besides serious ones under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

In a slew of recommendations, the NTF said 24 states had enacted laws to address violence against health care professionals while defining the terms "health care institutions" and "medical professionals".

Initially investigated by the Kolkata police, the case was transferred to the CBI on August 13 after the Calcutta High Court expressed dissatisfaction over the former's investigation.

The top court subsequently assumed oversight of the matter on August 19, 2024.

Roy was chargesheeted by the CBI in October last year.