Kolkata horror: SC to take up missing post-mortem challan issue on Tuesday

Amid continuing protest and strike by doctors in West Bengal, the Supreme Court will on Tuesday take up the case of rape and murder of a resident doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata last month.

A three-judge Bench led by CJI DY Chanddrachud — which had flagged a missing post-mortem challan on September 9 — will examine the document likely to be submitted by the West Bengal Government and a fresh status report to be filed by the CBI outlining new developments in its probe on Tuesday.

Surprised over the missing challan of the victim’s body when it was handed over for post-mortem, the Bench — which on August 18 took suo motu cognisance of the horrific incident that triggered nationwide doctors’ protest — had on the last date of hearing asked the state government to produce the crucial document on September 17.

The post-mortem challan is a crucial document which would have entries regarding the articles and material sent along with the body for autopsy.

Noting that protest can’t be at the cost of duty, the top court had asked the West Bengal doctors protesting against the rape and murder of a colleague of theirs at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata to report back to work by 5 PM September 10.

“If the doctors report for duty on or before 5 PM tomorrow then no adverse disciplinary action shall be taken against them. All concerns on safety and security shall be promptly attended to. However, if there is continuous abstaining from work then disciplinary action can be taken against them and they cannot be oblivious to the general concerns of the community whom they intend to serve, the Bench had said.

Since the doctors have refused to resume work, the state government was expected to raise the issue before the top court on Tuesday.

The junior doctors in West Bengal have been on strike since August 9 when a badly injured body of a post-graduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar room of the RG Kar Hospital, Kolkata.

The Kolkata Police initially registered a case of unnatural death and arrested Sanjay Roy—a civic volunteer the next day. However, acting on a petition filed by the victim’s parents, the Calcutta High Court on August 13 transferred the probe to the CBI, expressing dissatisfaction over the investigation conducted by the Kolkata Police. The CBI questioned Dr Sandip Ghosh, former Principal of RG Kar Medical College and then arrested him in a corruption case and the rape and murder case.

The top court had pulled up the Kolkata Police over the delay in registering an unnatural death case after the junior doctor’s body was found at the hospital, calling it “extremely disturbing”.