The Supreme Court has expressed profound concern over the ongoing circulation of photos and videos related to the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar hospital in August.

The court has urged the Central government to take immediate measures to address this issue, as the dissemination of these materials has persisted since the tragic incident on August 9, which sparked nationwide protests.

Previously, the Supreme Court prohibited the publication of the victim's images and videos across all platforms, including Wikipedia. However, during a recent hearing, the woman's parents informed the court that artificial intelligence is being utilized to generate new videos that are circulating extensively online.

Senior advocate Vrinda Grover highlighted that a film inspired by the doctor’s story is set to be released on YouTube tomorrow. She raised concerns about how the portrayal of the victim might affect the ongoing investigation, questioning, "How can we ascertain how the girl is being represented and the potential impact on the probe?"

Adding to the distressing situation, senior advocate Karuna Nundy pointed out that there are reels featuring the victim's images, often accompanied by Hindi film songs. Ms. Grover described the circumstances as "very disturbing" and called for the appointment of a nodal officer to oversee the matter.

She suggested that the family should notify this officer whenever they encounter such content online.

"If you want to stop the film, take the legal route," said Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who was leading the three-judge bench hearing the case. But he also said the state of West Bengal "must contact all social media platforms now" and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to ask MeiTY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) to "look into this and see if such links can be brought down".

"The attention of the court has been drawn towards pictures of the deceased along with videos which has proliferated all across social media," Justice Chandrachud said. 

Mr. Mehta announced that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) will appoint a nodal officer responsible for monitoring the dissemination of sensitive information related to the case. This officer will coordinate with intermediaries to ensure the prompt removal of such posts. Additionally, MeiTY is considering the establishment of guidelines for handling similar cases in the future.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising emphasized the need for widespread awareness of the court's orders, stating, "Not everybody reads the judgments of this court." She urged for the order to be publicized extensively.

The Supreme Court has taken cognizance of the case following widespread protests concerning the rape and murder of the 31-year-old doctor. Protesting doctors have accused the authorities of attempting to downplay the incident and of supporting former Principal Sandip Ghosh.

The primary suspect in the case, Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, has been arrested. He was stationed at the hospital’s police outpost and had access to various departments within the facility.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating both the rape-murder case and a separate case involving financial irregularities at the hospital. Sandip Ghosh has been arrested in connection with the financial irregularities case.