The Calcutta High Court announced on Friday that it would hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Monday, demanding the registration of an FIR against former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal. The PIL alleges that Goyal disclosed the identity of a rape-murder victim, a post-graduate trainee from R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, contrary to legal guidelines.
Vineet Goyal, who was in charge of Kolkata Police during the incident on August 9, currently serves as the Additional Director General (ADG) of the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police. The victim’s identity was reportedly revealed under his commissionerate, leading to this legal challenge.
Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing the petitioner—a practicing lawyer at the Calcutta High Court—moved the PIL. Jethmalani informed the division bench, led by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Bivas Pattanayak, that the Supreme Court, while hearing the R G Kar hospital case suo motu, had clarified that the Calcutta High Court could proceed with this particular issue.
The matter has drawn significant attention, as both the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court had previously issued directives against disclosing the identity of the victim, whose body was discovered in the hospital’s seminar hall.
The filing of this PIL follows widespread protests by junior doctors in the state, who ceased work demanding justice for the victim, enhanced security at their workplaces, and the removal of Goyal from his position as Commissioner.
This legal move is part of broader judicial proceedings related to the case, including the transition of the investigation from Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This shift was facilitated by the high court after considering multiple PILs, including one from the victim’s parents who demanded an impartial inquiry into their daughter’s death.
