New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea by Sandip Gosh, former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, challenging the Calcutta High Court’s direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe alleged financial irregularities and corruption in the institution during his tenure that started in 2021.
It was during Ghosh’s tenure that on August 9 a woman doctor was raped and murdered in the hospital building, sparking a nationwide outrage. He is currently in CBI custody in connection with the corruption case.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said the ex-principal has no locus standi in a petition seeking probe into corruption in disposal of bio-medical waste and that there was no harm if both the cases of alleged rape-murder and alleged corruption are being investigated by CBI under the High Court’s monitoring.
Let CBI give us a status report, the court said.
When Ghosh’s counsel Meenakshi Arora said that these two cases are separate and must be probed separately by the CBI, it was opposed by Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju said an accused can’t dictate the course of the probe.
The CJI agreed and said even the court cannot direct the course of investigations.
Ghosh had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the High Court order which had directed a CBI probe against him in the corruption case which happened before the August 9 incident.
Ghosh contended that the High Court did not hear him regarding the case and his arrest was made by the CBI on corruption issues which were not related to the incident of the alleged rape and murder of the women doctor.
The former principal of the hospital is currently in CBI custody in connection with the corruption cases.
