Supreme Court rejects West Bengal’s plea to stay live coverage of RG Kar hospital case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 17) dismissed the West Bengal government’s plea seeking to stop live telecasting of court hearings in the ongoing RG Kar Medical College and Hospital case. The top court emphasised that the case was of “huge public importance” and emphasised the need for transparency in legal proceedings.

During the hearing, which is still ongoing, the court noted: “The public needs to know what happens in court.”

The case pertains to the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a government hospital in Kolkata on August 9. The Kolkata police arrested the main accused, Sanjay Roy, the next day.

College principal Sandip Ghosh and three of his assistants were also arrested in connection with financial irregularities at RG Kar Hospital.

The statement was filed in response to concerns raised by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represents the West Bengal government. Sibal argued against the live broadcast, saying some of the court’s comments were damaging the government’s “50-year-old reputation”.

Sibal said the issues at stake were extremely sensitive and emotional and the court had previously ruled that live coverage could be dispensed with in such circumstances.

Sibal said women lawyers representing the state government have been receiving threats, including rape and acid attacks, over their involvement in the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also submitted a status report on the investigation in the case. The top court did not go so far as to say that it does not want the investigation to be postponed.

The court said it had taken note of the latest CBI report and could not reveal the leads that were being investigated. The court added that it could not risk delaying the investigation, which could result in possible tampering with evidence.