NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday in its order transferred the RG Kar Medical College trainee doctor rape and murder case to the Calcutta High Court and directed it to monitor the implementation of the orders passed in the case.
A two-judge bench of the apex court, comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, said that the Calcutta HC would continue to ensure effective implementation of all its directions issued so far, including those concerning investigation, administrative accountability, and institutional safeguards.
The bench headed by Justice MM Sundresh said the matter could not be addressed in fragments and indicated its inclination to shift the entire issue to the Calcutta HC for continuous monitoring.
“We are grappling with so many things, and there is no end to this. It is easier for the Calcutta High Court to monitor protests. Is it possible for us to monitor protests in Kolkata sitting in Delhi?”, opined the bench.
The Bench of the top court passed the order, after noting that the HC was best placed to oversee the compliance with directions already issued, given its proximity to the facts, authorities, and ongoing developments linked to the case.
The Supreme Court had, in November, said that it could not pass "blanket orders" protecting doctors involved, while hearing the plea of Association of junior and senior doctors, protesting in the aftermath of the rape and murder of the trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
"How can we pass blanket orders protecting doctors (Participated in protests)? We can not pass blanket orders on this by protecting you (doctors). The police has a right to call you,” the court had earlier said.
The case pertains to the horrific and brutal rape and killing of a 32-year-old woman postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, which took place in August last year.
After a trial court in Calcutta last year, in its decision, sentenced the convict, Sanjay Roy, to life imprisonment, there has been an uproar, especially among doctors and medical workers, who are requesting the courts for awarding death penalty to Roy for his gruesome act.
There are also calls for a reinvestigation into the matter, as concerns have been raised regarding how the investigation was conducted in the case.