The Calcutta High Court on Monday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to provide clarity on crucial aspects of its investigation into the rape and murder of a resident doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College & Hospital in August last year.  

The Court was responding to a petition filed by the deceased doctor's parents, requesting a fresh probe into the case.

Justice Tirthanker Ghosh directed the CBI to respond to specific queries at the next hearing, including:

• Whether the wording of the charges suggested the involvement of a single accused or indicated a case of gang rape.
• Whether the CBI had considered applying Section 70 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), especially in the presence of multiple suspects.

With the first chargesheet already filed, the Court urged the CBI to clarify the status of its ongoing investigation and the filing of a second chargesheet. However, it emphasized that it would consider case diaries but not a formal report.

Case History:

In August last year, the Calcutta High Court had directed the CBI to investigate the case on priority.  

The 31-year-old junior doctor was found dead at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, triggering nationwide outrage and leading to the resignation of the college principal, Dr. Sandip Ghosh. On August 13, 2024, the Court transferred the probe to the CBI.  

Ghosh was arrested by the CBI on September 2 after the Calcutta High Court, on August 23, ordered an investigation into alleged financial irregularities and the mishandling of key evidence in the rape case. However, a Kolkata court granted him bail on December 13, 2024, as the CBI failed to file the chargesheet within the mandated 90-day period.  

In January this year, the trial court convicted and sentenced the prime accused, Sanjay Roy, to life imprisonment for rape and murder following an in-camera trial that lasted 57 days. Roy, a civic volunteer with the city police, had been arrested by the Kolkata Police on August 10, 2024, a day after the incident.  

In February, the High Court dismissed the State government's appeal seeking the death penalty for Roy.

A bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Md. Shabbar Rashid ruled that since the CBI had conducted the investigation and prosecution, only the agency was authorized to file such an appeal. Consequently, the Court allowed the CBI to pursue the matter.