Kolkata, March 11 – A division bench of the Calcutta High Court, led by then Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, recused itself from hearing the R.G. Kar rape and murder case on Wednesday.
According to the division bench of Justices Debangshu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi, when the matter was assigned to them by then Chief Justice Sivagnanam, they were dealing with criminal cases.
However, since this division bench no longer hears criminal cases, the judges decided to recuse themselves and referred the matter back to the current Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, who will now decide which new bench will hear the case.
The division bench also observed that, as requested by the parents of the victims, conducting a fast-track trial is not possible at this bench.
On August 9, 2024, the body of a junior doctor at Kolkata's state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital – the victim of the horrific rape and murder – was discovered in a seminar hall within the hospital premises.
After a prolonged hearing in the matter, a trial court in Kolkata convicted the sole accused, Sanjay Roy, a former civic volunteer of the Kolkata Police, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. However, since the victim's parents were not satisfied with the findings of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s investigation into the matter, especially regarding identifying Roy as the sole convict, they approached the Calcutta High Court with their objections to the CBI findings.
They also requested a fast-track hearing.
Meanwhile, the CBI is currently continuing its investigation into the broader conspiracy behind the rape and murder, and has also filed a few progress reports to the trial court in the matter.
With the division bench of Justices Basak and Rashidi recusing themselves from hearing the matter, it remains to be seen which new bench of the Calcutta High Court the matter will be referred to.