The Supreme Court has granted bail to former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh in a financial irregularities case, citing his prolonged incarceration and the slow pace of the trial.
A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale set aside the Calcutta High Court’s February 23, 2026, order rejecting his bail plea, noting that Ghosh had spent more than two years in custody and only seven of the 147 witnesses had been examined.
“In such view of the matter, considering the period of incarceration and also the stage of the trial, we are inclined to set aside the impugned order passed by the High Court and allow this appeal,” the bench said in its order passed on Thursday.
The court said Ghosh would be released on bail subject to terms and conditions imposed by the trial court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which probed the case, named Ghosh in its charge sheet filed on August 24, 2024. He faces charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery and using forged documents under the Indian Penal Code, along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The allegations include financial irregularities at the Kolkata-based medical college and manipulation of merit scores to accommodate undeserving candidates.
Ghosh had approached the Supreme Court after a trial court rejected his bail plea on January 7, 2025, followed by the Calcutta High Court’s dismissal of his appeal on February 23, 2026.
(With inputs from PTI)