In a significant legal setback for Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the Supreme Court has dismissed his petition challenging a Calcutta High Court order that transferred the investigation into allegations of corruption against him to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The court also rejected Ghosh’s plea to join a public interest litigation (PIL) related to financial irregularities at the institution during his tenure.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, firmly denied Ghosh’s request to be included in the ongoing PIL that is overseen by the Calcutta High Court. The Supreme Court ruled that as an accused, Ghosh lacked the standing to intervene in the PIL, which is focused on monitoring the investigation of alleged financial misconduct.
The legal troubles for Ghosh, who served as principal of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital from 2021 with a brief hiatus, intensified following a tragic incident last month. A trainee doctor at the institution was raped and murdered, drawing national attention to the hospital’s internal issues. The Calcutta High Court, responding to a request by former deputy superintendent Dr. Akhtar Ali, ordered the transfer of the corruption investigation from a special investigation team to the CBI on August 23.
In his Supreme Court petition, Ghosh contended that the High Court’s decision was made without hearing his side of the story, arguing that this procedural oversight violated the principles of natural justice. He further alleged that his petition to the High Court to be made a party in the case was unjustly dismissed, a claim that he presented as evidence of procedural unfairness.
The CBI, which has since taken over the investigation, arrested Ghosh earlier this week after multiple rounds of questioning over the past two weeks. The probe into the financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital is now under the scrutiny of the premier investigation agency.
Sources By Agencies
