SC Refuses Blanket Protection For Protesting Doctors, Mulls Shifting RG Kar Case To High Court

Supreme Court of India (Credits: PTI Photo)

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it cannot pass “blanket orders” protecting doctors involved in protests in the aftermath of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last year.

A bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma remarked that such protection would amount to interference with police authority, noting that the police “has a right to call” individuals for questioning, news agency PTI reported.

The bench also observed that the matter could not be heard “piecemeal,” indicating that it was inclined to transfer the entire case — including issues linked to ongoing protests — to the Calcutta High Court, which is already hearing several related petitions.

“We are grappling with so many things and there is no end to this. It is easier for the Calcutta High Court to monitor protests. Is it possible for us to monitor the protests in Kolkata sitting in Delhi? “How can we pass blanket orders protecting doctors. The police has a right to call you,” the bench observed orally, as reported by the news agency.

During the hearing, the court asked senior advocate Karuna Nundy, representing the Association of junior and senior doctors, to submit a table of matters pending before the Calcutta High Court.

Nundy submitted that protesting doctors were being harassed by police and were called for interrogation repeatedly.

The bench, however, reiterated that it could not issue sweeping protective orders but would examine specific concerns on the next date of hearing. The matter will now come up after the winter vacation.

The top court had taken suo motu cognisance of the RG Kar case in August 2024 after the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in a seminar room on August 9. While taking suo motu notice of the case, the bench constituted a National Task Force (NTF) on August 20 last year to formulate a protocol to ensure safety and security of medical professionals in the wake of the crime.

What Happened At RG Kar Hospital?

On August 9 last year, the 31-year-old postgraduate trainee’s body was discovered inside the Chest Medicine Department’s seminar hall on the fourth floor of the hospital’s emergency building. The nature of her injuries, which indicated brutality, and the fact that it happened within a state-run hospital, sent shock waves across West Bengal and beyond.

Widespread protests erupted across campuses, drawing students, doctors, and civil society to the streets.

The Kolkata police initially investigated the case, before the Calcutta High Court transferred the probe to the CBI.

A civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, was found guilty of rape and murder by a Kolkata court in January 2025, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. But the victim’s family and several rights activists insist the case is far from closed.

Two other arrests followed — Sandip Ghosh, the then principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, and Abhijit Mondal, former officer-in-charge of Tala police station, on charges of misleading the probe.

But Mondal was released on bail after the CBI failed to file a charge sheet within 90 days.

(With inputs from agencies)