The court was hearing Sanjay Roy's bail petition.
The absence of the CBI's investigating officer in the rape and murder of the trainee doctor in Kolkata and a 40-minute delay in the arrival of the agency's lawyer prompted an angry court in the city to wonder if it should grant bail to the main accused. The court also pulled up the agency and said this reflected a "lethargic attitude" on its part.
The developments in court also prompted an attack on the CBI and the BJP from the Trinamool Congress, which has been under fire over its handling of the horrific crime, with the party alleging that attempts are being made to "sabotage justice". The investigation had been transferred to the agency from the Kolkata Police on the directions of the Calcutta High Court.
Hearing the bail petition of Sanjay Roy - a civic volunteer who has been arrested for raping and killing the trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital - on Friday afternoon, a magistrate at the Sealdah court noted that the CBI's investigating officer was not present for the hearing.
As Roy's lawyer made arguments for bail, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Pamela Gupta was informed that the public prosecutor would be arriving late. While the wait for the lawyer continued, the magistrate remarked, "Should I grant bail to Sanjay Roy? This reflects a severely lethargic attitude on the part of the CBI. It is very unfortunate."
The lawyer eventually reached about 40 minutes late, prompting the defence attorney to also raise the issue of the delay. The arguments then continued and, after hearing both sides, the magistrate sent Roy to judicial custody for 14 days.
Reacting to what had happened in the court, the Trinamool Congress said this reflected a "blatant disregard for justice".
"The court got angry, waited, and yet no one came. We want to ask what happened. Why is the opposition not reacting to this? It has been over 24 days and over 570 hours since the CBI took over the investigation, what has been the result? The entire country is asking. This shows that the CBI is not taking the case seriously..." Trinamool Congress leader Chandrima Bhattacharya said.
In two different posts on X, the Trinamool Congress also hit out at the BJP and the CPM.
"Today, during the R G Kar case hearing, the Investigating Officer & Public Prosecutor of @CBIHeadquarters went MIA (missing in action). Is this not an outright insult to the victim? A blatant disregard for justice? Where are the demands for accountability? Have @BJP4India & @CPIM_WESTBENGAL lost their voice?" the party's handle posted.
"After 24 days of stalling, @CBIHeadquarters didn't even bother to send their Investigating Officer or Public Prosecutor for the R G Kar case hearing. This is nothing short of SABOTAGING JUSTICE!" it said in another post, adding that the CBI should stop "dragging its feet" and the BJP should take out a protest march against this.
The trainee doctor was raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and her body was found on August 9. Her autopsy report, which put the time of death between 3 and 5 am, revealed that several injuries were inflicted on her before she was smothered to death.