Kolkata rape and murder case: CBI submits new status report, CJI-led panel investigates

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday submitted a new status report to the Supreme Court on the status of investigation in a case related to the murder and alleged rape of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra heard the case. The court took up the case on its own initiative.

During the last hearing of the case, the Supreme Court had directed the CBI and the West Bengal government to submit status reports to the court.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs had recently filed a plea accusing the West Bengal government of not cooperating with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) deployed to provide security at the hospital. Terming this lack of cooperation as “unforgivable” and symptomatic of a larger government problem, the ministry urged the court to direct the state officials to fully cooperate. If the state continues its lack of cooperation, the central government has asked the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the officials involved for “willful non-compliance”.

This is what SC said in the last hearing

During the hearing on August 22, the Supreme Court criticised the Kolkata Police for delaying the registration of the case as an unnatural death. The court also appealed to protesting doctors across the country, urging them to return to work and stressed that “law and medicine” should not be disrupted. To ensure the safety of medical staff, the court issued enhanced protection orders. Earlier, on August 20, the Supreme Court termed the doctor’s murder and alleged rape as “appalling” and set up a 10-member national task force to draw up protocols to ensure safety of health workers. The death of the junior doctor, who was discovered with serious injuries in the hospital’s seminar hall on August 9, sparked nationwide protests. Kolkata Police arrested a volunteer on August 10 in connection with the crime. On August 13, the Calcutta High Court handed over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which began its investigation the following day.

West Bengal Parliament passes anti-rape law

West Bengal’s anti-rape law, the Aparajita Woman and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024, which provides for the death penalty for rape victims if their act results in death or renders the victim a vegetative state, and life imprisonment without parole for other offenders, has been referred to President Droupadi Murmu for review.

Governor CV Ananda Bose sent the bill to the President on Friday after receiving a mandatory technical report from Chief Secretary Manoj Pant earlier the same day, according to an official at the Raj Bhavan. “The Governor handed over the ‘Aparajita Bill’ to the President after examining the technical report of the state government,” the official told PTI.

The bill, which was passed unanimously by the West Bengal Assembly on September 3, had been criticised by the Governor for lacking the required technical report when it was initially sent to him. Bose had also expressed dissatisfaction over the Assembly and the Secretariat’s failure to provide the debate transcripts and translations as per procedural rules.

The Raj Bhavan also announced that this bill now coincides with similar bills from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, which are still awaiting the President’s decision. Bose pointed out “glaring deficiencies and omissions” in the review of the bill and warned the state government against taking hasty decisions that could have long-term consequences.