Kolkata rape-murder case: The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case that has shaken the entire country, and will conduct the hearing on the matter today (August 20). The hearing will be held by a bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, Justice Manoj Misra. The bench kept the matter on top of the cause list for hearing at 10:30 am.
The suo motu cognizance of the case, titled "In Re: Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, and related issue", assumes significance in view of the fact that Calcutta High Court is already in action and has transferred the probe into the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The top court may widen the spectrum of judicial scrutiny, keeping in mind the ongoing nationwide protests, especially by the doctors, and their concerns. Doctors' bodies the Federation of Association of Medical Consultants of India (FAMCI) and the Federation of Resident Doctors' Association (FORDA), and lawyer Vishal Tiwari have also moved the top court by filing interim applications in the suo motu case.
The top court's action comes as the demand for justice to the trainee doctor who was brutally raped and murdered grows by the day in the entire country. A 32-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The accused was arrested the next day. The high-profile case is now being investigated by the CBI after Calcutta High Court ordered the West Bengal government to hand over the probe to the central agency.
The doctors across the country have expressed their anguish and anger over the incident and taken to the streets demanding justice for the victim. Massive peaceful protests have broken out on the streets of various parts of the country. OPD services were suspended all over the nation in protest, however, Emergency services remained operational.
IMA writes to PM Modi over issue
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday (August 17) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his intervention in the rape-murder case of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The IMA also put forth some solutions and demands to the Prime Minister and said that his taking note of the situation will “give confidence to not only women doctors but also to every woman in workplace”. The letter to PM Modi was written by IMA national president Dr RV Asokan and Honorary Secretary General Dr Anilkumar J Nayak.
In the letter, the IMA also mentioned the vandalism at the hospital on August 14 night where the crime took place on August 9 and raised concerns over the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses.
“On 15th August 2024, the hospital was vandalised by a large crowd which destroyed various sections of the hospital including the area where the victim was found. Doctors especially women are vulnerable to violence because of the nature of the profession. It is for the authorities to provide for the safety of doctors inside hospitals and campuses,” the letter stated.
The IMA said that the Kolkata incident has brought to the fore two dimensions of violence in the hospital – “a crime of barbaric scale due to the lack of safe spaces for women and the hooliganism that is unleashed due to lack of an organised security protocol”.
Kolkata doctor rape-murder case
It should be noted that a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at the hospital on August 9. Later, the semi-naked body of the 32-year-old woman was found in the seminar hall of the government-run hospital in Kolkata. A civic volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime the next day.
