The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday rejected a plea from Sandip Ghosh, former principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, seeking to delay the framing of charges against him in a corruption case. Ghosh, implicated in financial irregularities during his tenure, had requested the special CBI court at Alipore to defer the charge framing process.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh dismissed the petition, affirming that the high court cannot interfere with the orders passed by the special court. During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General Asok Kumar Chakrabarti, representing the CBI, argued against the postponement, stating that the application for recalling was not maintainable before the high court.
The case, which has attracted considerable attention due to the tragic circumstances surrounding a medic’s rape and murder inside the college’s seminar room last year, is being closely watched. This incident had occurred under Ghosh’s administration, adding to the gravity of the allegations against him.
The CBI, which took over the investigation following directives from the Calcutta High Court, recently submitted all pertinent documents to the special court. According to reports from the court proceedings on Tuesday, the judge had announced that the hearing for framing charges would begin on Wednesday, though it was later adjourned to Thursday.
Framing of charges is a critical stage in criminal proceedings, where the court formally accuses the defendant of committing specific offenses based on preliminary evidence and allegations presented by the prosecution. This step sets the stage for a trial, where the evidence will be examined in detail.
The high court had previously instructed the special court to expedite the process and aim to frame charges within a week from the last hearing, taking into consideration the list of witnesses and the need to move the trial towards a conclusion swiftly.
