Supreme Court Postpones Hearing on RG Kar Medical College Rape-Murder Case Till November

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has postponed its hearing on the suo-motu case regarding the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital until November.

On January 20, a Kolkata trial court sentenced convict Sanjay Roy to "life imprisonment till death" for this heinous crime that sparked nationwide outrage and extended protests across West Bengal.

The bench consisting of Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma deferred the proceedings as they were occupied with a partially heard case.

Senior advocate Karuna Nandy, representing the Association of Junior and Senior Doctors, informed the court that doctors who participated in peaceful protests were being summoned for police interrogation and requested an earlier hearing date.

Despite the primary conviction already secured, the Supreme Court continues to monitor several related issues, including the regularization of unauthorized absences by medical professionals.

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

After taking suo motu cognizance of the case, the bench established a National Task Force (NTF) on August 20 last year to develop protocols ensuring medical professionals' safety and security following this incident.

In November last year, the NTF's report—included in the Central government's affidavit—concluded that a separate central law addressing offenses against healthcare professionals was unnecessary.

The panel noted that state laws contained adequate provisions for addressing minor offenses, while serious crimes were covered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Among its numerous recommendations, the NTF highlighted that 24 states had already enacted legislation to combat violence against healthcare professionals, with clear definitions for "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 local investigation.

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

The CBI filed charges against Roy in October last year.