The Supreme Court on Thursday resumed hearing on the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. During the hearing, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud urged protesting doctors to return to work and assured them no action would be taken against them.
The three-judge bench, led by the CJI, also comprises Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
In its status report to the Supreme Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) stated that the crime scene was altered and the victim's family was misled about their daughter's death by passing it off as a suicide.
Furthermore, the federal agency said that its investigation so far pointed to the involvement of one person, accused Sanjoy Roy, who was arrested in connection with the case, India Today has exclusively learnt.
A civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, Roy was arrested a day after the trainee doctor's semi-naked body was found inside the seminar hall of RG Kar hospital on August 9.
1. "Let them all return to work. We will pass some general order, please rest assured that once doctors resume duties, we will prevail upon authorities to not take adverse actions, how will public administrative structure run if they don't resume work?"
2. "Committee (National Task Force) will ensure it will hear all representatives. We will reiterate that in our order...Our hearts go out to all those going to Public hospitals. We will make a statement that resident doctors will be heard, you stakes and inputs are very high."
3. "If we start asking representatives of various stakeholders to be part of the committee, then work of the committee gets dislocated...We know that the committee has senior women doctors, and they have dedicated life to public health infrastructure...The committee will hear everyone..interns, residents, senior residents, nurses, paramedical staff.. committee will ensure that all representatives are heard."
4. "Please assure the doctors that we know they are working for 36 hours...I have personally slept on the floor of a public hospital when one of my family members was not well."
5. "The duty is almost 48 hours, then you are neither in a physical or mental state to resist if somebody is teasing you. I'am not even going on about serious crimes."
6. "(Kapil) Sibal, one aspect is extremely disturbing, the GD (general diary) entry of death is recorded at 10.10 am...the securing of the crime scene, the seizures etc. was done at 11.30 at night? What was happening all by then?"
7. "The entire procedure followed by your state is something which I have not come across in the 30 years of my life. The first thing, 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?"
Source: India Today