Kolkata doctor rape-murder: SC to hear RG Kar hospital incident case today

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday the case related to the murder and alleged rape of a junior doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. According to the cause list uploaded on the apex court's website, a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is slated to hear on September 9 the case, which was initiated by the top court on its own.

The Centre has recently filed an application in the apex court alleging "unpardonable" non-cooperation by the West Bengal government in extending logistical support to the CISF, tasked with providing security at the hospital.

In its application, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has termed the alleged non-cooperation of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government as an example "symptomatic of a systemic malaise" and sought a direction to the state authorities to extend full cooperation to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). In case of their failure to do so, the Centre has urged the apex court to initiate contempt proceedings against the state government officials concerned for "wilful non-compliance" of the court orders.

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While hearing the matter on August 22, the top court tore into the Kolkata Police over the delay in registering the unnatural death of the doctor. Making an impassioned appeal to the protesting doctors across the country, the apex court had also asked them to get back to work, saying "justice and medicine" cannot be stopped. Moreover, it said it was issuing all necessary directions to ensure their safety.

On August 20, the apex court had termed the rape and murder of the doctor as "horrific" and issued a slew of directions including setting up of a 10-member National Task Force to formulate a protocol for ensuring the safety and security of doctors and other health care professionals. The murder and rape of the junior doctor inside a seminar hall of the state-run hospital sparked nationwide protests.

The medic's body with severe injury marks was found inside the seminar hall of the hospital's chest department on August 9. A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police in connection with the case the following day. On August 13, the Calcutta High Court transferred the probe from Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI)