Top court refuses to transfer RG Kar rape-murder trial out of Bengal

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to transfer the trial relating to the rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, out of West Bengal.

“Yes, we have done it (transferred the trial out of a state) in cases like Manipur (ethnic violence). However, we are not doing anything like that here. No such transfer,” a three-judge Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud told a lawyer who demanded that the trial should be shifted out of the state.

As the lawyer said “people of West Bengal are losing faith in the police and the judiciary”, the CJI pulled him up for making such a statement.

“Do not talk about people. Whom are you appearing for? Do not make such general statements. There is no such thing at all,” the Bench, which had on August 18 taken suo motu cognisance of the horrific incident, told the lawyer.

The top court said the trial judge had sufficient powers to order another investigation, if necessary, after examining the evidence.

It examined the sixth status report filed by the CBI in relation to the case of rape and murder at Kolkata’s RG Kar hospital, but refrained from making observations, saying the probe was underway.

A Kolkata court had framed charges against prime accused Sanjay Roy on November 4 and a day-to-day trial in the case would start on November 11, it said.