Justice Rajasekhar Mantha’s bench at the Calcutta High Court has stepped back from overseeing the case involving the rape and murder of a female doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The bench cited a high caseload as the reason for its decision and suggested that a dedicated judicial commission might handle the matter more effectively for the sake of justice.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has presented a status report to the Calcutta High Court, which has been accepted by the court. In a previous session, Justice Mantha’s bench had indicated that the CBI could question the convict and other suspects in the RG Kar case if necessary to advance the investigation. Acting on this, the CBI submitted the status report accordingly.
In a separate development, in March 2025, Justice Debangshu Basak’s division bench recused itself from hearing a case brought by the victim’s family due to time constraints. Despite the family’s request for an expedited hearing, the bench was unable to accommodate their plea, leading to the withdrawal from the case.
The body of the female doctor was discovered on August 9, 2024, at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, leading to the arrest of Civic Volunteer Sanjay Roy by the Kolkata Police the following day. Subsequently, the CBI assumed control of the investigation following orders from the Calcutta High Court. Roy was later found guilty and convicted in the RG case by the Sealdah court on January 18, 2025.
Judge Anirban Das sentenced Roy to life imprisonment on January 20, 2025. Before the final verdict, the victim’s parents lodged an application in the High Court, which was redirected to Justice Tirthankar Ghosh. However, Justice Ghosh declined to hear the petition, citing the ongoing proceedings related to the RG Kar case in the Supreme Court.
Following this, the victim’s parents pursued the same petition in the Supreme Court, prompting a hearing. Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna redirected the case back to the High Court, emphasizing that it should be heard there. The case has since been under consideration in the High Court.
