KOLKATA: The West Bengal Medical Council has decided to cancel the registration of Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
A few days ago, the council initiated the process of revoking Dr Ghosh's registration, recently serving him a show-cause notice concerning his alleged involvement in financial irregularities at the hospital.
The issuance of the show-cause notice was seen as a step before the council’s final decision to cancel his medical registration.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the CBI informed the Sealdah court that there was an “inordinate delay of around 14 hours” in filing an FIR in the RG Kar rape and murder case by the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tala police station, Abhijit Mondal.
Mondal was arrested on Saturday night and produced before the Sealdah court on Sunday, alongside Dr Sandip Ghosh.
According to the CBI’s submission, the police made a General Diary (GD) entry past 11 pm on 9 August, followed by the FIR minutes later. By then, the post-mortem report had arrived, clearly indicating rape and murder.
The CBI’s lawyers claimed there was a “conspiracy with hospital authorities and unknown persons” and that incorrect information was deliberately included.
The court remanded both Ghosh and Mondal in CBI custody until 17 September, the day when the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case. The alleged delay in filing the FIR had been raised during the previous hearing in the apex court on 9 September.
The CBI’s forwarding note to the judge stated: “Being OC PS Tala, he failed to ensure registration of FIR despite having received telephonic information at 10.03 am, a written complaint from MSVP (Medical Superintendent Vice Principal) at 2.55 pm, and a subsequent complaint from the father at 7.30 pm. He went on to register only a UD (Unnatural Death) case at 11.30 pm, vide GD Entry No 576, with an inordinate delay of around 14 hours.”
A CBI source said the FIR was lodged 15 minutes after the GD entry.
The note further added: “Being OC PS Tala, he failed to ensure registration of the FIR as per provisions of section 173 BNSS (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita) in such types of heinous crimes despite knowing it was a cognisable offence.”
Section 173 of the BNSS states that “every information relating to the commission of a cognisable offence... if given to an officer in charge of a police station orally, shall be reduced to writing by him or under his direction, and be read over to the informant; and every such information, whether given in writing or reduced to writing as aforesaid, shall be signed by the person giving it.”
The CBI accused Mondal of registering the first GD Entry No 542, mentioning that the “body of PG trainee of RG Kar MCH was found lying in an unconscious state at the seminar room of Chest Medicine”.
While conspiring with hospital authorities and other unknown persons to “intentionally mention wrong facts whereas the dead body was already examined by a doctor and found the victim dead”.
Mondal was also charged with failing to secure the "scene of crime", thereby allowing access to “unauthorised persons”, resulting in vital evidence being damaged, according to the CBI's lawyers.
“Being OC PS Tala, he failed to cordon the scene of crime (SoC) to preserve and protect it, which led to access by unauthorised persons, causing the damage of vital evidence available at the SoC, thereby trying to protect accused Sanjay Roy and others who accessed the SoC unauthorisedly, which might have resulted in tampering with the evidence,” the CBI note stated.
The CBI lawyers also pointed out that the delay in issuing the death certificate for the junior doctor led to the subsequent delay in conducting the inquest and post-mortem.
“Being OC PS Tala, he failed to ensure timely ascertainment of the victim’s condition and the issuance of the death certificate, thereby causing subsequent delays in conducting the inquest, post-mortem, etc.,” they said.
Call records obtained by the CBI revealed multiple exchanges between Mondal and Ghosh on 9 August, with the first call from Ghosh to Mondal being made at 10.03 am, according to CBI sources. Mondal reportedly reached the crime scene about an hour later, around 11 am, the CBI lawyers told the court.
The CBI further alleged that Mondal, in his capacity as the officer-in-charge, allowed the cremation of the victim in a “hurried manner”, despite the family’s specific request for a second autopsy.
Mondal was arrested on Saturday after almost seven hours of questioning at the CBI’s office in CGO Complex, Salt Lake. CBI officers later stated that Dr Ghosh, who was already in judicial custody following his arrest on 2 September, was “shown arrest” in connection with the RG Kar rape and murder case.
Mondal’s lawyer argued in court that the officer had responded every time he was summoned, and while a departmental proceeding could be initiated for his alleged failure to perform his duties, he could not be held responsible and arrested for it.
“He is a public servant. He may be granted bail on any terms and conditions,” Mondal’s lawyer pleaded.
After hearing both sides, the judge granted the CBI three days’ custody for further investigation.
