The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted a progress report on the investigation into the gruesome rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital to the Supreme Court ahead of a hearing today.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra heard the case on Tuesday (August 20) after taking up the matter on its own. It had asked for status reports on the probe into the rape-murder and vandalism at RG Kar hospital from the CBI and the Bengal government, respectively.
Sources told, both reports have been filed before the top court.
The brutal rape and murder of the 31-year-old postgraduate doctor has sparked nationwide outrage and protests.
In Tuesday's hearing, the top court pulled up the Bengal government for its various lapses in handling of the case and also for failing to stop vandalism at the state-run medical college and hospital. The Bengal government will also file a status report today on the progress of the investigation into the vandalism.
The Calcutta High Court had on August 13 transferred the probe into the rape-murder case to the CBI, highlighting "serious lapses" by the RG Kar hospital administration.
WHAT SUPREME COURT SAID IN EARLIER HEARING
The top court slammed the Bengal government-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Tuesday's hearing over their handling of the rape-murder. The bench pulled up the hospital authorities and former principal of the hospital, Dr Sandip Ghosh, for the delay in the registration of a First Information Report (FIR), asking why it was done several hours after cremation.
Additionally, the bench criticised the authorities for making the parents of the victim wait for three hours before they could see her body.
Chief Justice Chandrachud expressed deep concern over the circulation of the victim's name and photographs in the media. He also noted that the safety of women doctors was a matter of national interest and there is no principle of equality without the same.
The Supreme Court also jabbed the Bengal government for appointing Dr Ghosh as the principal of another reputed state-run medical college and hospital, hours after his resignation as the head of RG Kar hospital.
Furthermore, the court set up a ten-member National Task Force (NTF) to suggest safe working conditions for healthcare professionals.
DOCTORS' BODIES MOVE SUPREME COURT
The Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) has approached the Supreme Court seeking interim protection for doctors till the implementation of the recommendations of the National Task Force.
The petition stated that since the implementation will take time, some interim measures should be taken for the doctors including CCTV surveillance in all sensitive regions of a medical college or hospital (entry and exit gates, corridors, and hostel).
"Doctors, especially women doctors, are scared after this horrific incident. Their families are not allowing them to do night duty, so security is necessary," the petition added.
Additionally, the National Federation of Resident Doctors of AIIMS also moved the top court by way of an intervention application, highlighting the concerns of various resident doctors in all AIIMS across the country.
The application also called for interim measures for doctors till the recommendations of the NTF are implemented.
