Sealdah Court on Friday has raised concerns over the pace of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the rape and murder case of a medical student from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The observations came during a hearing on a fresh petition filed by the victim’s family, who sought further action in the case.
While the court noted that the family’s plea may not be legally tenable, it refrained from dismissing the application outright and instead made significant observations regarding the investigation. The judge remarked that the probe appeared to have lost momentum and stressed the need to expedite proceedings. The court specifically observed that certain aspects flagged by the family should have been examined more proactively by the CBI. The agency has been investigating the case for the past 15 months.
Earlier this week, the victim’s family submitted a fresh application before the Sealdah court seeking the arrest and custodial interrogation of several individuals, including a Kolkata Police assistant sub-inspector, multiple doctors, senior police officials, and Sudipta Roy, chairman of the hospital’s Patients’ Welfare Committee. Appearing on behalf of the family, their counsel argued that the status reports filed by the CBI before the High Court lacked credibility. They contended that there were inconsistencies between the initial report and subsequent submissions, alleging that the court had been misled.
The family also sought access to 15 hours of CCTV footage from the hospital premises, requesting that the footage be handed over for review. During the hearing, their lawyers further alleged that the investigation had not adequately addressed the possibility of a broader conspiracy.
Responding to the plea, the CBI questioned the legal basis for the arrests sought by the family, asking under which specific provisions such action could be taken. The agency informed the court that many of the individuals named in the petition had already been examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
