Supreme Court takes suo motu cognizance of Kolkata rape-murder case, hearing on Tuesday

The Supreme Court has taken a suo motu cognizance of the Kolkata rape and murder case, which was recently transferred by the Calcutta High Court to the CBI. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the case on August 20.

A 31-year-old post-graduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered inside a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. The incident triggered nationwide protests, with doctors from across the country staging protests, demanding action against people involved in the case.

A day after the incident, the Kolkata Police arrested Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer attached to the police in connection with the case. However, doctors said injury marks on the victim's body - as shown in the autopsy report - pointed to the involvement of more than one person. 

The protesting doctors are demanding action against Sandeep Ghosh, former principal at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, who reportedly floated a suicide theory.  

On Saturday, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy demanded that the CBI interrogate the Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Sandeep Ghosh. Roy had earlier in the day called upon the CBI to act fairly and demanded the custodial interrogation of Sandeep Ghosh and Vineet Goyal to know "who and why floated the suicide story". 

However, the Kolkata Police on Sunday summoned Roy for allegedly posting wrong information regarding the incident. 

The parents of the deceased woman doctor claimed that they were informed over the phone on August 9 morning that their daughter died by suicide at the hospital, where she worked. 

The Kolkata Police Commissioner has said that no one from the police force had called up the parents to say that their daughter died by suicide. 

Sandeep Ghosh was interrogated by the CBI for long hours on Friday and Saturday as well as on Sunday in connection with their probe into the doctor's death.

The Calcutta High Court has already transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).