In a significant development, the Calcutta High Court has directed Vineet Goyal, the former Commissioner of Kolkata Police, to file an affidavit responding to a petition that accuses him of unlawfully disclosing the identity of a doctor from R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, who was a victim of rape and murder.
The division bench, led by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and comprising Justice Bivas Pattanayak, mandated the filing by November 7. This directive is part of a broader inquiry into whether the High Court can independently hear the petition despite concurrent proceedings in the Supreme Court concerning the same victim.
This judicial move came after a petition filed on October 4 highlighted Goyal’s alleged breach of confidentiality, which contravenes strict guidelines protecting the identities of crime victims. The allegations pertain to the tragic events of August this year, when the victim, a post-graduate trainee, was found deceased in the seminar hall of the institution.
Following the incident, Goyal, who was then the police commissioner and has since been appointed as the ADG of the Special Task Force in West Bengal, is under scrutiny for his actions during the investigation.
In addition to Goyal’s affidavit, the Calcutta High Court has also requested affidavits from the West Bengal government and the Central government, setting the stage for a comprehensive examination of the legal protections accorded to the identity of victims in such sensitive cases.
