The Supreme Court on Thursday refused a plea seeking to transfer the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape case out of West Bengal. A bench composed of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra declined the plea made by a lawyer.
The court noted that while it has transferred trials outside the state in some cases, such as those involving violence in Manipur, it would not do so in this instance. “No such transfer,” stated the Court.
The lawyer continued to insist, but the court remained unconvinced. When the lawyer argued that the people of West Bengal were losing faith in the police and judiciary, the court cautioned him against making such sweeping statements.
The court also observed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had clarified that the probe is ongoing, and they may file additional supplementary chargesheets if more evidence is found. The court noted that these aspects would be addressed by the sessions judge handling the matter.
The court was hearing a suo motu petition regarding the rape and murder of a doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal. The court took note of the CBI status report, which indicated that Sealdah’s Sessions Court has framed charges against the accused. The Supreme Court requested that the CBI file an updated status report within four weeks.
Meanwhile, an advocate informed the Supreme Court that the Centre had filed a report from the National Task Force (NTF). The Supreme Court is reviewing the NTF’s report, which includes recommendations in two categories: preventing physical violence and preventing sexual violence against medical professionals.
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The Supreme Court ordered that a copy of the report be provided to all counsels involved in the matter, as well as to the Chief Secretaries of all states and union territories, to enable them to make appropriate recommendations.