A court in West Bengal's Kolkata on Friday granted bail to RG Kar Hospital's ex-principal Sandip Ghosh and former police officer Abhijit Mondal in connection with the doctor rape-murder case.
The Sealdah Court granted bail to Tala police station's former officer incharge Abhijit Mondal and RG Kar Medical College's ex-principal Sandip Ghosh as CBI couldn't file the chargesheet within 90 days period.
Sandip Ghosh was arrested after state-run RG Kar Medical College & Hospital hogged media attention when a trainee doctor was found dead in the chest department auditorium on August 10. The doctor was allegedly raped and killed by a civic volunteer Sanjay Roy in the intervening night of August 9-10.
Sandip Ghosh was also under scanner in the case for alleged delay in the probe. In between, the Calcutta High Court ordered a probe into alleged financial irregularities in hospital during his tenure.
The High Court order came on a petition by the former deputy superintendent of the facility, Akhtar Ali, who prayed for a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into multiple counts of alleged financial misconduct at the institute during Ghosh's tenure as its principal.
CBI chargesheet fails to get WB govt sanction
Earlier this month, the CBI said in its chargesheet that Sandip Ghosh allegedly helped two cartels in procuring hospital contracts, according to a news agency PTI report.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier this month, the CBI said in its chargesheet that Sandip Ghosh allegedly helped two cartels in procuring hospital contracts, according to a news agency PTI report.
{{/usCountry}}While special court took the chargesheet on record but it was yet to take its cognisance because the West Bengal government had not provided sanction to prosecute Sandip Ghosh and other accused.
Sandip Ghosh had resigned as the principal of the state-run institute on August 12 amid widespread protests in the aftermath of the alleged rape and murder of the trainee doctor.
The CBI has named Ghosh, former House Staff of the medical college Ashish Kumar Pandey, and businessmen Biplab Singha of Maa Tara Traders, Suman Hazra of Hazra Medical and Afsar Ali Khan of Eshan Cafe, in the charge sheet.
"This case was registered in compliance with the directions of Hon'ble High Court at Calcutta relating to financial irregularities in RG Kar Medical College & Hospital at Kolkata," the CBI Spokesperson said.
The CBI has alleged that Ghosh and Pandey appointed several doctors as house staff in violation of the rules, they said.
Ghosh helped two cartels -- one run by Singha and Hazra and the other by Khan -- in procuring several contracts of the hospital, the CBI has alleged in its chargesheet filed before a Special CBI court in Alipore.
"On careful perusal, it manifested that sanction order of the competent authority not yet received. Accordingly, cognisance is not taken sans sanction. Let it be kept with the record," PTI quoted the Special Judge.
Ghosh served as principal of RG Kar Medical College from February 2021 to September 2023. He was transferred from RG Kar in October last year but inexplicably returned to that position within a month.
He was posted as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital within hours of his resignation in August this year, but was subsequently asked to go on an indefinite leave in the wake of the High Court's objection to his appointment and massive protests.