Kolkata court pulls up CBI over RG Kar rape-murder: ‘Shouldn’t be so casual’
A Kolkata court on Monday told the Central Bureau of Investigation that the agency should not be “so casual” in making applications seeking to extend the judicial custody of former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and Tala Police station SHO Abhijit Mondal, India Today reported.
Sandip Ghosh and Abhijit Mondal are being probed by the central agency for their role over the alleged rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata on August 9.
What CBI sought?
The CBI sought extended custody of Sandip Ghosh and Mondal Abhijit citing “new and crucial facts” found from the extracted data from DVRs, hard drives and mobile phones including CCTV camera footage from Tala police station. However, the two accused challenged the CBI’s application.
Advocate Ayan Bhattacharya, appearing on behalf of Mondal said the agency has not questioned his client “even for a single minute” so far and is merely seeking to extend custody to delay his bail. “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?” he argued as per India Today report.
Ghosh’s lawyer Zohaib Rauf also questioned the need for custody of his client. Rauf claimed that there was no need to probe Ghosh, who he claimed had no role with data recovered from Tala police station. “I was the principal of RG Kar hospital, not Tala police station. Why should I be questioned for this?” he asked on behalf of the former principal.
Hearing the arguments the judge remarked saying “the CBI shouldn’t be so casual in making applications”. The court denied the agency’s demand an extended judicial custody and sent them to judicial custody till October 4. It asked the central agency to approach the court again in case the accused “did not cooperate” in the interrogation.
The CBI had earlier this month arrested Mondal and added charges of evidence tampering against Ghosh, who was in judicial custody after being arrested on September 2 in connection with alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar hospital. Mondal also faces accusations of tampering with evidence, delaying registration of FIR and other related offences.