The Supreme Court has mandated the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report concerning its ongoing investigation into alleged financial irregularities at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. This directive comes amid the heightened scrutiny following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the hospital last month.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and including Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, reviewed a separate status report from the CBI on the tragic incident. The justices emphasized the importance of discretion, noting that revealing details of the investigation could hinder its progress.
In a related discussion, the court addressed concerns about the ongoing live streaming of court proceedings. Despite pleas from senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the West Bengal government, to cease streaming due to threats against women lawyers involved in the case, the court decided to continue the broadcasts, underscoring the public’s right to be informed about significant legal proceedings.
Further complicating the case’s public profile, the Solicitor General reported that Wikipedia had not complied with orders to protect the victim’s anonymity, displaying both her name and photograph. The Supreme Court issued a stern directive to Wikipedia to rectify this breach of privacy immediately, reiterating that the identity of victims in such sensitive cases should not be disclosed.
The hearing also touched on the integrity of the crime scene management, with the court reassuring that there was no evidence of any tampering or destruction of crucial evidence, including CCTV footage, by the CBI. West Bengal police confirmed that all relevant materials had been transferred to the CBI for their investigation.
