Justice Recuses in RG Kar Medical College Rape-Murder Case: Investigation Controversy Continues

The reason why Justice Basak recused himself from hearing the case remains unclear at this point.

Justice Debangshu Basak, who served as the "lead judge" or "senior judge" of a Calcutta High Court division bench overseeing the RG Kar rape and murder case, announced his recusal from the proceedings on Thursday.

With Justice Basak's recusal, the matter will now be forwarded to Acting Chief Justice Sujay Paul of the Calcutta High Court, who will be responsible for constituting a new division bench to hear the case.

The parents of the junior doctor from the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, who was raped and murdered on hospital premises in August last year, had initially approached Justice Tirthankar Ghosh's single-judge bench seeking a fresh investigation into the case.

Their petition expressed dissatisfaction with the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) probe, which had identified civic volunteer Sanjay Roy as the sole perpetrator in the rape and murder case. The victim's parents maintained that their daughter's rape and murder was part of a broader conspiracy involving several influential individuals.

Earlier this year, Justice Ghosh also recused himself from hearing the case. Subsequently, the victim's parents approached the division bench comprising Justice Basak and Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi.

The RG Kar rape and murder case is currently being heard simultaneously at multiple judicial forums, including the Calcutta High Court, the Supreme Court, and a trial court in Kolkata.

The trial court had previously identified Sanjay Roy, a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, as the sole accused and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The CBI has challenged this verdict and approached the Calcutta High Court seeking the death penalty for Sanjay Roy.