The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed the West Bengal government to immediately engage Dr. Aniket Mahato, one of the prominent leaders of the protest movement over the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, as a senior resident in the Anaesthesiology Department at the same institution.
Justice Biswajit Basu held that the state’s decision to post Dr. Mahato at Raiganj Medical College and Hospital in Uttar Dinajpur district was “unreasonable” and a “serious wrong” warranting judicial intervention. The court set aside the government’s May 27, 2025 notification and instructed that Mahato be engaged at RG Kar without delay.
Appearing for the state, government counsel sought a stay on the operation of the order until October 7 to enable filing an appeal. Justice Basu, however, declined the request, clearing the way for Mahato’s immediate posting.
Dr. Mahato, represented by his lawyer, had challenged the government’s decision, alleging that he and two other doctors, who played a visible role in the RG Kar protest movement, were subjected to police harassment and targeted in the deployment process.
His counsel contended that the government violated its own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for allotment of senior resident posts based on merit. Out of 871 doctors in the deployment list, only three, including Mahato, were placed far from their preferred institutions in what was described as “punishment postings.”
Despite opting for one of four vacancies at RG Kar in the Anaesthesiology Department, Mahato was overlooked in favour of a less meritorious candidate, his counsel argued.
The protests at RG Kar erupted following the gruesome rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor on August 9, 2024. Her body was discovered in the seminar room of the medical college, triggering outrage across the country.
Earlier this year, a sessions court in Sealdah sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment till the end of his natural life after finding him guilty of the crime.
By restoring Dr. Mahato’s posting at RG Kar, the high court underscored the importance of fairness in government decisions and signalled that retaliation against whistle-blowers or protest leaders cannot be permitted.
