Kolkata rape-murder: Supreme Court to take up missing autopsy document issue

The Supreme Court on Tuesday will continue hearing the suo motu case into the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital even as protests continue unabated in West Bengal.
The hearing assumes significance as the state will have to inform the court about the security facilities it has provided to the doctors, details on the missing document connected to the postmortem, and the arrangements for the CISF personnel guarding the RG Kar hospital.
According to lawyers representing the CBI, the agency will apprise the top court about the investigation conducted so far in the case and inform the three-judge bench about the arrest of former RG Kar principal Dr Sandip Ghosh and a senior police officer in connection with the rape-murder case.
The CBI has alleged they were involved in disturbing the crime scene, tampering with evidence, violating official rules, and misleading the investigators. Ghosh has already been arrested by the CBI in connection with financial irregularities at the hospital.
The West Bengal government will have to clarify whether the challan, a key document that contains entries regarding the articles and material sent along with the body for autopsy, was given to the doctor who conducted the post-mortem of the victim.
In the last hearing, the top court came down heavily on the Bengal government after noting that the key document was missing.
“Where is the challan of the body when it was handed over for postmortem? It (challan) is crucial because it will have a list of what clothes and other things seized by the police were sent to doctors for conducting a post-mortem,” the CJI had said.
Appearing on behalf of the CBI, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that the challan was not part of the records handed over to CBI by the Kolkata Police.
“There is no mention of the challan. You need to explain this. If tomorrow, this document is missing, then something is amiss,” Justice JB Pardiwala told Kapil Sibal, who is representing the Bengal government.
The top court is also likely to hear the concerns of the protesting doctors, who were asked to resume their duties by September 10. However, doctors are still protesting on the streets even though the Bengal government agreed to most of their demands, including the removal of the Kolkata police chief.
On the last date of hearing, the top court had also instructed the West Bengal government to ensure their safety and security. This involves installing CCTV cameras, establishing restrooms, and implementing other necessary structural improvements.
The government will also have to apprise the top court of the arrangements made for CISF personnel who are guarding the RG Kar hospital on the orders of the Supreme Court. The CISF had complained to the top court that necessary arrangements and accomodation were not being provided to the female staffers.