The CBI on Thursday submitted a status report on its probe into the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024..
A division bench of Justice Shampa Sarkar and Justice Tirthankar Ghosh had on May 21 directed the agency to constitute a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) and submit a report on the sequence of events from the doctor’s dinner on the night of the crime to her post-mortem the following day.
The bench expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of the investigation, noting that nearly one year and seven months had passed since the chargesheet was filed, yet the probe remained incomplete.
Justice Sarkar asked the CBI counsel, who was responsible for the alleged delay in handing over the case to the CBI and for the alleged destruction of evidence.
She added that the CBI should know what the allegations of the family were and if anyone had attempted to shield the real offenders.
The CBI submitted that it had examined all the aspects that have been raised by the slain doctor’s family.
The agency also said that they have recorded the statement of the mother of the slain doctor.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh said that the CBI had shown an alleged lackadaisical attitude in handling the case.
A lawyer quoted Justice Ghosh and said: “Either the state should admit that it has failed to ensure justice, or it should say that no one is responsible for the destruction of evidence. It has already been one year and seven months since the chargesheet was filed.”
“If this continues, we will take the case away from the CBI. We will record in our order that CBI officers have failed to understand the high court’s directions and have failed to conduct an appropriate investigation, Justice Ghosh said.”
Justice Sarkar said the purpose of forming a new SIT was to ensure that none of the officers associated with the earlier probe was part of the fresh team.
Counsel for the victim’s family argued that if the CBI was unable to conduct the investigation effectively, the case should be transferred to the CID.
Justice Shampa Sarkar said that the court was placing its faith in the CBI.
The High Court granted the CBI additional time to complete the investigation.
The matter will next be heard on August 6.