Kolkata doctor rape and murder: Why was Principal of RG Kar college rewarded with new post? Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court today criticised the State's decision to "reward" Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, with a new post hours after he resigned amid allegations that he engaged in victim-blaming of the 31-year-old junior doctor found dead on campus..Autopsy reports indicated that the victim was subjected to rape before she was murdered. Amid nationwide outrage, several petitions were filed before the High Court for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.A Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya today expressed anguish over the incident, terming it gruesome..The Court further took critical note of allegations that after the victim was found dead, the college principal tried to victim blame and link her death to psychosis. The Bench also grilled the State on the manner in which the case was initially dealt with."Why did you (State) register a case of unnatural death? This is not the way a victim should have been dealt with, especially when the victim was a doctor in the very same (college) ... Does the principal require advice on all these things?" the Bench said.Pertinently, the Court took a dim view of the fact that the principal has now been appointed to another medical college (the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital)."If he has stepped down (resigned from RG Kar Medical College) citing some moral responsibility etc., (it is) rather surprising that you (State) should reward him in less than 12 hours. He is virtually the guardian of all the doctors working there. If he doesn't show any sympathy or empathy, then who else would show? He should be kept at home. Your client (the principal) shouldn't be working anywhere. He is so powerful that a government counsel is representing him," Chief Justice Sivagnanam remarked..The State later attempted to justify the course of action the police took. "Whenever there is an unnatural death and nobody comes with a complaint immediately, an unnatural death is always recorded when a serious crime is occurring. There are reasons behind this. The inquest, the forensic examination - all these things come under unnatural death case," the State counsel said.It is nobody's case that there was any delay in registering a first information report (FIR) immediately after a complaint was received, he added. "We have taken every step possible," the State counsel asserted. The Court, however, was not convinced."We can't understand. It is not like you found the body lying in the roadside. The principal or superintendent or the principal could have been the complainant," Chief Justice Sivagnanam said."Nobody gave the complaint! What can I do?" the State counsel replied."And you reward him (Dr. Ghosh)? That is enough, sir. Cat is out of the bag," the Bench replied. .Another lawyer present in court added that the same college principal had earlier been transferred multiple times amid other scandals, only to be brought back."Everything was hushed up. He was so powerful! Any person who opposes this man is ragged," the lawyer claimed.The Court eventually made it clear Dr. Ghosh cannot be allowed to continue functioning as a principal, even in his new assignment, in light of the allegations against him."Your client (Dr. Ghosh) will not function sir. Ask now to go on long leave. We give him an option to submit his leave application by 3 PM today. Otherwise, we will pass an order," the Court warned.The Court will resume hearing the matter around 2.45 PM. .Another aspect taken note of by the Court today concerned allegations that there was an attempt to cover up the crime. The parents of the victim were initially told by the college administration that their daughter was ill and later that she had died by suicide, the petitioner's counsel claimed."They were kept waiting for three hours, far from the dead body. So long, they were telling, she had committed suicide. The parents were surprised - she was normal, she went for duty, how could it happen? Then they found tears and huge injuries on the body," the Court was told in the morning.In the post-lunch session of the hearing, the State refuted the allegations. The parents were allowed into the seminar room, near where the victim was found, 10 minutes after they arrived, the State maintained. "The entire allegation that we made them wait for three hours, is not correct statement," the State counsel said..Notably, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier said that the case would be transferred to the CBI if it is not solved by the State police in seven days.The petitioners, however, expressed concern today that these seven days are enough to hush up the matter and destroy evidence. "Therefore, CBI should be directed to take up the investigation here and now," the Court was urged by one counsel."Within seven days, evidence would be wiped out!" another counsel added. The State refuted these allegations and assured the Court that a transparent probe was being conducted..[Read Order]