High Court Asks Probe Agency To Clarify 'Rape Or Gang Rape' In RG Kar Case

A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to clarify to the court whether the woman doctor of the state-run RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, was a victim of "rape" or "gang-rape", and also to submit the case diary.

As the matter came up for hearing at the bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh on Monday, the judge observed that with one individual (civic volunteer Sanjay Roy) being already convicted and sentenced for the crime of rape and murder, the central agency must clarify whether one or more were involved in the crime.

"The CBI should clarify to the court whether this was a case of 'rape' or 'gang-rape'," Justice Ghosh observed. He also directed the CBI to submit the case diary in the matter to the court by the next date of hearing in the matter.

On Monday, the state government counsel and Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee said that further investigation could be carried out after the trial process in the matter has been completed at a special court in Kolkata.

The CBI counsel, Rajdeep Majumdar sought some more time for the investigating officials to complete the process of follow-up investigation. After a special court has already convicted Sanjay Roy in the crime of rape and murder, the next part of the investigation is about the angle of evidence tampering and altering during the initial phase of the investigation by Kolkata Police.

The counsel for the victim's parents, Sudipto Moitra argued that the next stage of investigation in the matter should be court-monitored. He also demanded that the next stage of investigation should be carried out by a special investigation team of CBI headed by an officer in the rank of additional superintendent.

Senior advocate Kaushik Gupta, who has been appointed by Legal Aid Services on behalf of Sanjay Roy, made an appeal to the court that the individual who had been convicted and sentenced in the case should also be heard by the court.

However, that prayer was turned down and Justice Ghosh observed if any order is passed which might adversely affect the convict, his counsel will be given an opportunity for a hearing.

To recall, with the Supreme Court, last week, permitting a parallel hearing in the matter at Calcutta High Court, the counsels of the victim's parents approached Justice Ghosh's bench with a fresh petition.

The matter was admitted by Justice Ghosh and accordingly, Monday was fixed as the first day of the fresh hearing in the matter.

Earlier, when the victim's parents approached Justice Ghosh's bench, the latter was not agreeable to hear the matter since it was already being heard at the top court. However, after the top court's approval parallel hearings can happen both at the top court and the high court, besides the one already continuing at a special court in Kolkata.

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