The Supreme Court on Sunday, August 18, took suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, which occurred on August 9.
The incident has sparked nationwide strikes and protests by doctors, who are demanding severe punishment for the accused and enhanced safety measures for the doctors and staff in the hospitals.
A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear the case on Tuesday, The Hindu reported.
The court’s suo motu intervention follows an August 13 order of the Calcutta High Court transferring the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation from the Kolkata Police.
The apex court had intervened in the rape and murder of the doctor after two lawyers practising in the Supreme Court wrote a letter to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, urging him to take suo motu cognisance of the case.
“The nation looks to the judiciary as the ultimate guardian of justice, the last refuge for those whose cries have been silenced by brutality. The victim in this case, a young doctor whose life was dedicated to serving others, deserves nothing less than the full measure of justice that our legal system can provide. Her death must not be in vain; it must galvanise us to act, to ensure that no other woman suffers such a fate,” the letter said, according to The Economic Times.
The body of the doctor was found in the seminar room of the hospital. It was reported that post-mortem and inquest reports revealed horrifying details of extensive injuries.
The police had arrested a civil police volunteer in the case.
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association has written a letter to the Union government with a list of five demands, seeking safety of the doctors:
At policy level the reluctance to acknowledge the violence on doctors and hospitals has to change. A Central Act incorporating the amendments of 2023 in the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 into the draft Hospital Protection Bill of 2019 would strengthen the existing 25 state legislations. An Ordinance as in during the covid pandemic is in order.
The security protocols of all hospitals should be no less than an airport. Declaring the hospitals as safe zones with mandatory security entitlements is the first step. CCTVs, deployment of security personnel and the protocols can follow.
The 36 hours duty shift that the victim was in and the lack of safe spaces to rest and adequate rest rooms warrant thorough overhaul of the working and living conditions of the resident doctors.
Meticulous and professional investigation of the crime in a timeframe and rendering of justice. Identify the hooligans of vandalism and award exemplary punishment.
Appropriate and dignified compensation to the bereaved family commensurate with the cruelty inflicted.
These demands were made after the incident created a climate of fear among healthcare workers, especially after a mob ransacked R G Kar Medical College. There has also been an alarming nationwide trend of violence against medical professionals, The Times of India reported.