During a Supreme Court hearing over the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital, a heated moment occurred when solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), reprimanded senior advocate and West Bengal government counsel Kapil Sibal.
The body of a 31-year-old trainee doctor was found on August 9 inside the seminar hall of the state-run hospital's chest department. The incident sparked nationwide protests, with doctors and people across the country taking to the streets to demand justice for the woman doctor.
During the hearing in Supreme Court, Mehta schooled Sibal who allegedly laughed when concerns were raised over Kolkata Police’s delayed response in registering the 'unnatural death' of the victim. "Somebody has lost their life. At least do not laugh," SG Mehta sternly told Sibal.
A bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud expressed surprise at the order of legal procedures followed by the police. The justices found it particularly concerning that the deceased's postmortem was conducted on August 9 between 6:10 pm and 7:10 pm, prior to the case being officially registered as an unnatural death. This sequence of events raised questions about the proper adherence to standard legal protocols in the investigation.
"How was it that the postmortem was conducted at 6.10 pm on August 9 and yet the unnatural death information is sent to Tala police station at 11.30 pm on August 9. This is extremely disturbing," the bench, also comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said.
The court instructed the Kolkata Police officer who recorded the initial report of the rape-murder case, which has sent shockwaves through the nation, to attend the upcoming hearing. The officer is required to reveal the exact time when the report was filed.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, told the top court that the most shocking fact is that the FIR was registered at 11.45 pm after the postgraduate medic was cremated.
"State police told parents it was suicide, then they said it was murder. Victim's friend suspected cover up and insisted on videography," Mehta told the bench.
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