RG Kar Rape-Murder Case: Supreme Court Directs Protesting Doctors To Resume Work

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the protesting doctors in West Bengal to resume their work, recognising that the protests cannot continue at the expense of their duties.

The top court's directive came on the heels of senior advocate Kapil Sibal's submission that 23 people have lost their lives on account of protesting doctors not working.

The court has said that if the doctors do not resume their duties by 5 pm on Tuesday, the state will be open to take action against them.

In addition, the court has directed that pictures and videos of the RG Kar victim must be removed immediately from all platforms so as to protect her identity and dignity.

During the hearing, a lot of back and forth was witnessed between the CBI and the state of West Bengal as the court tried to inquire into certain aspects, such as the exact time when the case for unnatural death was registered and the exact time for when search and seizure was carried out on site.

It was flagged off by a counsel on CBI's side that the post-mortem report was botched as it didn't have the exact details pertaining to the time of death, and the body was not preserved properly after the death took place. Even the court said that the FIR was certainly registered nearly 14 hours after the death took place.

On the aspect of safety of doctors, the court inquired into the measures that West Bengal has taken on the ground and has sought the state's reply by next week.

Adjourning the case for the day, the top court said that CBI's investigation in the case is progressing and that it did not want to comment on an ongoing investigation in open court.

As a result, the court has directed the central agency to file a fresh status report by next September 16.

The case will be heard next on September 17.

The horrific rape and murder of a resident doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital's campus in Kolkata has sent shock waves across the country.

Several doctors have staged peaceful protests following the incident. However, chaos unfurled soon after the incident, when a mob entered the hospital campus during protests and vandalised parts of the hospital. The state police's inability to control the violence has come under scrutiny. The apex court took suo motu cognizance of the case earlier this week.

During the first hearing in the case, the top court expressed dismay at the way the entire incident was dealt with by authorities and ordered the CBI to submit a status report on the matter. The court also directed the West Bengal government to report on how such large-scale vandalism occurred in the presence of police personnel.

The apex court also took note of the systemic issues pertaining to the safety of medical professionals across the nation and decided to formulate a National Task Force to come up with an action plan for the safety and well-being of medical professionals.

The NTF is required to submit an interim report within three weeks and a final report within two months along with appropriate timelines by which the recommendations could be implemented, based on the existing facilities in hospitals.