Former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal, Sandip Ghosh, has petitioned the Supreme Court to challenge the transfer of an investigation into alleged financial misconduct during his tenure to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
Ghosh’s petition, filed on August 27, is scheduled for hearing on September 6. However, prior to the hearing, he was arrested by the CBI on September 2 in connection with the case. His arrest comes amid public outrage over his handling of the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the hospital on August 9, an incident that has ignited national protests and widespread anger in West Bengal.
In his petition, Ghosh argues that the Calcutta High Court transferred the financial probe to the CBI on August 23 without giving him a fair opportunity to present his case, thereby violating principles of natural justice. He claims the court wrongfully excluded him from the proceedings, despite the outcome directly affecting his rights.
Ghosh also disputes the high court’s decision to link the financial irregularities to the ongoing criminal investigation into the rape and murder, both now being handled by the CBI. He contends that the two cases are separate and that the court erred in assigning the financial investigation to the CBI simply because the agency was already probing the criminal case.
The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, and including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, is expected to hear Ghosh’s petition on September 6. The same bench is overseeing the suo motu proceedings regarding the doctor’s rape and murder and is monitoring the related investigations.
On Monday, Ghosh was interrogated by the CBI for the fifteenth consecutive day before being arrested at the agency’s Nizam Palace office in Kolkata. He faces charges of cheating and violations under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Alongside Ghosh, three others have been arrested on similar charges.
The allegations against Ghosh include illegal use of bodies for research, unauthorized sale of biomedical waste, and several financial irregularities, including awarding contracts without proper tenders.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also filed a money laundering case against Ghosh, based on the CBI’s findings. Additionally, the Kolkata Police has registered two first information reports (FIRs) against him.
This marks the first CBI arrest since the agency took over the investigation into the doctor’s murder, although Ghosh’s arrest relates to the financial misconduct case. A Kolkata Police civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, was arrested a day after the crime and handed over to the CBI on August 13.
The Calcutta High Court, in its August 23 order, transferred the corruption probe against Ghosh to the CBI while criticizing the West Bengal government for forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) a year after the allegations surfaced. The court was acting on a plea by former deputy superintendent Akhtar Ali, who sought an ED investigation into Ghosh’s alleged financial misconduct. Ali pointed out that the SIT was only formed after the doctor’s tragic death.
The high court justified its decision by citing an “apparent nexus” between the allegations against Ghosh and the locus of the crime, which required a unified investigation by a single agency.
“The court directs that the investigation be transferred to the CBI, given the serious nature of the allegations. Splitting the investigation between multiple agencies could lead to inefficiencies, delays, and potential misinterpretation of information, thereby undermining effective enforcement. Handing over the investigation to the CBI ensures consistency,” the high court stated in its order.
(With inputs from agency)
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