On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered Wikipedia to remove the name of a victim from its site in relation to a case about the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
This decision was made after the court learned that Wikipedia had kept the victim's name and even created a graphic representation of her, even though the investigation is still ongoing.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represents the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), expressed worries about the way the victim's particular hairstyle was being portrayed on different media platforms.
In the same hearing, the court also ruled that it would not be appropriate to disclose leads in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe at this stage, citing concerns that such disclosures could disrupt the ongoing investigation.
The CBI submitted a fresh status report to the Supreme Court regarding the ongoing investigation into the RG Kar rape and murder case. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud described the findings in the status report as “worse” and expressed that the court is “very disturbed” by its contents.
Commenting on the CBI's status report, Chief Justice Chandrachud stressed that revealing details of the ongoing investigation could "jeopardise the line of investigation." He assured that the investigation aims to "unearth the absolute truth" and indicated that more revelations may emerge beyond the current arrests. "Apart from the principal, the Station House Officer (SHO) was also arrested. So let us wait," he added.
The CBI is currently examining various issues, including the proper submission of the statutory challan for the postmortem and potential tampering at the crime scene or destruction of evidence. The Chief Justice noted that it would be "unwise for us to disclose anything further" at this stage.
Acknowledging the input from the victim's father regarding potential leads for the investigation, the Chief Justice stated, "We are not making these suggestions public, but they are valuable inputs," urging the central probe agency to consider them. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, confirmed that the agency would accept the Chief Justice's suggestion.
Additionally, the Chief Justice highlighted challenges faced by the CBI due to a "five-day delay" in the investigation, which has hindered its progress. After reviewing a letter dated September 12, the court noted that many of the issues raised are still under investigation by the CBI, and no conclusions could be drawn at this time.