The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it was expecting trial in the case related to the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College Hospital in Kolkata to be over within a month.
The Bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar made the observation after perusing the latest status report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the suo motu case taken over the rape-murder incident.
The Court recorded in it’s order that the trial was being conducted on a day-to-day basis from Monday to Thursday at the Special CBI Court at Sealdah and that the statements of 43 witnesses have been recorded.
Appearing for CBI, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta apprised the Bench that 81 witnesses were to be examined from the prosecution side.
The SG submitted that the issue regarding financial irregularities in the RG Kar Hospital was separately investigated and a charge sheet has been filed. Since the accused were public servants, they were waiting for sanction from the State of West Bengal for prosecution in that case.
Representing the parents of the victim, Advocate Vrinda Grover submitted that they were hoping that CBI would file a supplementary charge sheet in the rape-murder case to implicate those allegedly involved in covering up the crime.
Perusing the report submitted by the National Task Force, which was constituted to give recommendations to enhance the security cover for health professionals, the Apex Court directed the States and Union Territories to give their responses to the recommendations.
The Bench directed NTF to give its final report within 12 weeks from today and listed the matter for further hearing on March 17.
The top court of the country gave liberty to the parties to mention the matter, in case there was any delay in the trial.
The Apex Court further asked the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to consider a petition raised by certain doctors not to consider the period of their protest as abstention from duty in terms of the relief earlier granted by the Bench.
The body of the post-graduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar room of RG Kar Hospital on August 9. Kolkata Police had arrested a civic volunteer on August 10 in this connection.
On August 13, the Calcutta High Court directed CBI to take over the investigation, after expressing lack of satisfaction with the Kolkata Police.
On August 19, the Supreme Court took a suo motu case over the incident. In October this year, CBI filed a charge sheet against accused Sanjay Roy, who was arrested by the Kolkata police.
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