Kolkata court raps CBI over RG Kar rape case: Shouldn't be so casual

The court denied the CBI's request for extended custody, ordering both accused to remain in judicial custody for four more days. The next hearing is set for October 4.

In Short

• Judge frustrated with CBI's 'casual approach' in RG Kar case
• Defence challenges need for extended custody of accused
• Court orders accused to remain in judicial custody

In a heated hearing today, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) faced sharp criticism from a Kolkata court over its handling of the rape and murder case of a trainee doctor at RG Kar hospital. The presiding judge expressed frustration with the probe agency, stating, “The CBI shouldn’t be so casual in making applications.”

The case involves the arrests of police inspector Abhijit Mondal and former RG Kar hospital principal Sandip Ghosh. Both were produced virtually in court, while the CBI sought extended custody to interrogate the accused over newly recovered data.

According to the CBI, extracted data from DVRs, hard drives, and mobile phones, including CCTV footage from the Tala police station, has uncovered "new and crucial facts."

However, the defence lawyer challenged the need for further extending the custody.

Advocate Ayan Bhattacharya, on behalf of Mondal, argued, "I have been in judicial custody for days, yet not questioned for a single minute. If the CBI has the data, why do they need my custody again?"

Sandip Ghosh's lawyer, Zohaib Rauf, questioned the relevance of his client’s interrogation based on data from Tala police station. "I was the principal of RG Kar hospital, not Tala police station. Why should I be questioned for this?" he stated on behalf of Ghosh.

The defence also raised concerns that the CBI was seeking custody merely to delay bail. “Despite having five days of CBI custody, they didn’t question my client even once,” Bhattacharya noted.

Under fire, the CBI’s legal team struggled to justify their request. After several revisions to their custody application, the judge allowed an amendment but emphasised the need for diligence.

The court denied the CBI’s request for extended custody, ordering both accused to remain in judicial custody for four more days. The next hearing is set for October 4.