The Supreme Court rejected a request from Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Friday, to be included as a party in a petition concerning financial irregularities at the institute during his tenure.
Earlier, on August 23, the Calcutta High Court had ordered the transfer of the investigation into these alleged financial irregularities from a state-formed Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra stated that Ghosh, as an accused, does not have the standing to be added to the petition. The bench remarked, “As an accused you have no locus to intervene in the PIL, where the Calcutta high court is monitoring the investigation.”
The case has gained significant attention due to the murder and alleged rape of a junior doctor at the state-run hospital, which has led to nationwide protests. The victim’s body, bearing severe injuries, was discovered in the seminar hall of the hospital’s chest department on August 9. Following this, a civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police in connection with the incident.
The August 23 order by the high court was in response to a petition filed by Akhtar Ali, the former deputy superintendent of the hospital, who sought a probe by the Enforcement Directorate into the financial misconduct allegedly involving Ghosh. The high court also ruled against Ghosh’s plea to be added as a party to the petition, stating that he was not a “necessary party” in the case.