Supreme Court Transfers RG Kar Medical College Rape-Murder Case to Calcutta High Court for Continued Monitoring

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Wednesday transferred the RG Kar Medical College trainee doctor rape and murder case to the Calcutta High Court for monitoring the implementation of its orders.

A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma instructed that all case documents be forwarded to the high court. The Supreme Court, which had taken suo motu cognisance of the case in 2024, also ordered that a copy of the status report be provided to the victim's parents.

Senior advocate Karuna Nundy, representing the association of junior and senior doctors, noted that the top court had established a National Task Force after acknowledging the need for a national consensus.

"I represent the doctors of West Bengal. The National Task Force was constituted to formulate effective recommendations addressing safety and wellbeing issues of medical professionals. Only one hearing is needed to conclude this matter," she stated.

The Supreme Court indicated that a constitutional court in West Bengal could appropriately handle the matter.

"We consider it appropriate to transfer the proceedings to the division bench of the Calcutta High Court with a request to the Chief Justice to assign the case to a suitable bench," the court declared.

The postgraduate trainee doctor's body was discovered in the hospital's seminar room on August 9 last year. Kolkata police apprehended Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, the following day.

On January 20, a Kolkata trial court sentenced Roy to "life imprisonment till death" for the crime. This heinous act sparked nationwide outrage and extended protests throughout West Bengal.

Despite the primary conviction, the Supreme Court continues to monitor several related issues, including the regularization of unauthorized doctor absences.

In November last year, the National Task Force reported in its findings—included in the Central government's affidavit—that a separate central law addressing offences against healthcare professionals was unnecessary.

The panel indicated that state laws contained sufficient provisions to address both minor offences and serious crimes under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Among various recommendations, the National Task Force noted that 24 states had enacted legislation addressing violence against healthcare professionals while defining "health care institutions" and "medical professionals."

Initially investigated by Kolkata police, the case was transferred to the CBI on August 13 after the Calcutta High Court expressed dissatisfaction with the police investigation.

The Supreme Court subsequently assumed oversight of the case on August 19, 2024.