Kolkata Court Raps CBI: RG Kar Rape Case

Kolkata Court Raps CBI: Hearing in RG Kar Rape Case

A Kolkata court today sharply criticized the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its handling of the rape and murder case of a trainee doctor at RG Kar hospital. The court stated, “The CBI shouldn’t be so casual in making applications.”

The case involves the arrests of police inspector Abhijit Mondal and former RG Kar hospital principal Sandip Ghosh. Both were produced virtually in court, while the CBI sought extended custody to interrogate the accused over newly recovered data.

According to the CBI, extracted data from DVRs, hard drives, and mobile phones, including CCTV footage from the Tala police station, has uncovered “new and crucial facts.” However, the defense lawyer challenged the need for further extending the custody.

Advocate Ayan Bhattacharya, representing Mondal, argued, “I have been in judicial custody for days, yet not questioned for a single minute. If the CBI has the data, why do they need my custody again?”

Sandip Ghosh’s lawyer, Zohaib Rauf, questioned the relevance of his client’s interrogation based on data from the Tala police station. “I was the principal of RG Kar hospital, not Tala police station. Why should I be questioned for this?” he stated on behalf of Ghosh.

The defense also raised concerns that the CBI was seeking custody merely to delay bail. “Despite having five days of CBI custody, they didn’t question my client even once,” Bhattacharya noted.

Under fire, the CBI’s legal team struggled to justify their request. After several revisions to their custody application, the judge allowed an amendment but emphasized the need for diligence.

The court denied the CBI’s request for extended custody, ordering both accused to remain in judicial custody for four more days. The next hearing is set for October 4.