SC takes suo moto cognisance of Kolkata rape-murder case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of a doctor in the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the case on Tuesday.

The body of the post-graduate trainee doctor was found in the RG Kar Hospital's seminar room on August 9. The Kolkata Police arrested a civic volunteer the next day in this connection.

The Calcutta High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the investigation, after expressing a lack of satisfaction with the Kolkata Police.

On Friday, two lawyers practising in the Supreme Court and a doctor from Telangana wrote a letter to the Chief Justice Chandrachud urging him to take auto moto cognizance of the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Advocates Ujjawal Gaur and Rohit Pandey wrote the letter to the CJI saying to take suo moto cognizance of the incident, for it is the need of the hour that the highest court of the land intervenes with the urgency and gravity that this situation demands. "The nation looks to the judiciary as the ultimate guardian of justice, the last refuge for those

whose cries have been silenced by brutality. The victim in this case, a young doctor whose life was dedicated to serving others, deserves nothing less than the full measure of justice that our legal system can provide.

Her death must not be in vain, it must galvanise us to act, to ensure that no other woman suffers such a fate," stated the letter.

It further stated that the time has come for the judiciary to send a clear and resounding message that such heinous crimes will not be tolerated, and the sanctity of life and the dignity of women must be fiercely protected by the full might of the law.

"This case is not merely a bizarre violation of an innocent life, it is an assault on the very soul of our nation, an egregious affront to the ideals of justice and humanity that our great Constitution upholds," it added.

Another petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking immediate intervention following a series of incidents of attacks on medical professionals, particularly the incident at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata.

Another letter petition by Dr Monica Singh, from the Army College of Dental Sciences from Secunderabad, Telangana, through her advocate Satyam Singh, sought immediate intervention following a series of incidents of attacks on medical professionals, particularly the incident of Kolkata.

It highlighted the rape and murder of the PG doctor at a Kolkata medical college on August 9, 2024, and subsequent attacks on the RG Kar Medical College on August 14.

"The attacks have severely disrupted hospital operations and created an atmosphere of fear among medical staff. There must be immediate deployment of Central Forces to protect RG Kar Medical College and its staff," the letter said.