New Delhi: Former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday (September 2) over allegations of financial misconduct.
Ghosh was being questioned at the the agency’s Salt Lake office in connection with the brutal rape and murder of a young trainee doctor on the hospital premises on August 9. He was later taken to the CBI’s Nizam Palace office in Kolkata which houses the agency’s anti-corruption wing and was shown as arrested, news agency PTI reported.
Dr Akhtar Ali, the hospital’s former deputy superintendent, had lodged several complaints about financial irregularities at the college during Ghosh’s tenure as principal.
Accusing Ghosh of grave corruption, including illegal body trafficking and biomedical waste disposal, Ali had written to various government bodies like the health department, anti-corruption bureau as well as the State Vigilance Commission.
Ali’s allegations are now being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI.
SC dismisses West Bengal govt’s plea against student leader leader’s bail
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed West Bengal’s appeal against the bail granted to student leader Sayan Lahiri, who was accused of leading protests over the R.G. Kar Hospital rape-murder case. The protests, which turned violent, resulted in injuries to both protesters and police personnel, Live Law reported.
The bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra heard West Bengal’s challenge against the Calcutta high court order directing the release of Lahiri, the alleged leader of the ‘Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj’, an organisation that led the protests.
The State of West Bengal submitted that the rally was organised by three individuals, including Lahiri. The court was informed that Lahiri faces 11 FIRs for unlawful assembly, rioting, and voluntarily causing hurt.
The counsel stated that 41 police officials were injured across different locations during the protests, according to the Live Law.
Justice Pardiwala questioned the grounds for charging Lahiri and noted that the case revolves around whether bail should be granted, as requested by Lahiri’s mother in her writ petition under Article 226.
“It is a case of bail, no doubt about it, prima facie. The only point for consideration is, in a writ petition filed by the mother whether this relief could be granted or not, thats the short point,” Justice Pardiwala was quoted as saying by Live Law.
Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, representing Lahiri’s mother, mentioned that Lahiri had switched political affiliations after initially being part of the ruling party. The organisers had notified the state authorities about the protests on August 26 and warned of potential miscreants who might disrupt the peaceful demonstrations, the report mentioned.
Justice Pardiwala remarked that the ideal approach for the state before the high court should have been to raise objections as to why no separate petitions were filed quashing each of the FIRs. The counsel for the state submitted that the rally was ‘orchestrated’ by a ‘mastermind’ who is named by other persons arrested.
The Supreme Court disinclined to entertain the matter further, the bench said: “It’s alright, dismissed, next matter,” as per the report.
Earlier, the high court had observed that the police should have adopted a more sensitive approach to manage the situation, rather than focusing on suppressing the protesters and preventing their peaceful demonstrations. The court also noted that Lahiri’s involvement in the protests did not necessarily mean he was the leader and that the protests were a spontaneous response to the incident, Live Law reported.
The case relates to the gruesome rape and murder of a second-year PG medical student at the R.G. Kar Hospital, leading to widespread protests across the country. The high court had transferred the probe into the doctor’s rape and murder to the CBI, and the Supreme Court had passed directions to ensure the victim’s identity and photos were not circulated on social media.
