No Relief for Ex-RG Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh as Supreme Court Upholds CBI Probe

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dealt a significant blow to former principal of RG Kar Hospital Dr Sandip Ghosh, dismissing his petition challenging the Calcutta High Court’s decision to transfer the investigation into alleged financial irregularities at the institution to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The hospital had come under intense scrutiny following the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor last month. The incident sparked widespread outrage and protests.

In a stern rebuke, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud stated that an accused individual does not have the right to intervene in a plea seeking the transfer of an investigation. “As an accused, you have no locus to intervene in a PIL when the High Court is monitoring the investigation and transferring to the CBI,” the CJI said.

Dr Ghosh’s counsel, senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, argued that the petitioner had no objection to the CBI probe but took issue with the High Court’s linking of the alleged irregularities to the murder incident. However, the Chief Justice stressed that this was a matter for the investigators to determine.

The advocate also suggested that the petition filed by a former staffer of the hospital, which led to the High Court’s order, might be “motivated.” However, the Supreme Court dismissed this claim, stating that such allegations should be treated with caution and care.

In his plea before the High Court, former RG Kar Hospital deputy superintendent Akhtar Ali had accused Dr Ghosh of financial mismanagement, selling of unclaimed bodies and biomedial waste, and deliberately failing students who refused to pay bribes.

The Supreme Court reaffirmed the High Court’s decision to transfer the investigation to the CBI. “At this stage, you have no locus at all. Akhtar Ali himself may be a subject of enquiry,” the CJI said.

The top court also directed the CBI to file regular status reports on the progress of the investigation. By dismissing Dr Ghosh’s petition, the Supreme Court has paved the way for a thorough and impartial investigation into the alleged irregularities at RG Kar Hospital.