Ex-RG Kar College Principal Sandip Ghosh Moves Supreme Court Against HC Ordering CBI Probe Into Alleged Financial Irregularities
Former Principal of RG Kar Hospital Sandip Ghosh has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court's order to transfer the SIT probe into alleged irregularities in the tender processes and mismanagement by Ghosh, to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Ghosh was the Principal of the Hospital and College where the brutal rape and murder of a junior doctor took place on August 9. The High Court on August 13 had also transferred the investigation to CBI relating to the doctor's death.
The matter is listed before the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for admisison hearing on September 6.
Before the Apex Court, Ghosh contends that the investigation was transferred by the High Court without giving him an opportunity to be heard. He is aggrieved by High Court's observations apparently linking the corruption allegations against him to the incident at the hospital.
Notably, the High Court bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattach during the hearing of the pleas relating to the Hospital Incident took exception the death being registered as a 'suicide' instead of unnatural death and scorned upon Ghosh's swift appointment to another College within 12 hours of resigning.
“If the principal has stepped down owing moral responsibility, rather serious that he is rewarded within 12 hours with another appointment. There is an apprehension that with lost time there is something that will go wrong. No man is above law, how did he step down and then be rewarded with another responsibility? The principal is the guardian of all doctors working there, if he doesn't show any empathy who will show? He should be at home not working anywhere. So powerful that a government counsel is representing him? The principal will not function. Let him go on long leave. Otherwise, we will pass an order.”
The investigation transferred is in relation to allegations by the Former Deputy Superintendent at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Akhtar Ali who moved the Calcutta High Court against former principal Dr Ghosh, alleging serious illegalities committed by the former principal.
In his plea Ali alleged that Ghosh started serious illegalities as such mismanagement of dead bodies, reselling biowaste in the open market, misutilization of public funds etc.
In the earlier hearing, the High Court had questioned why the State only initiated the SIT probe after the unfortunate incident on 9th August, when many complaints had been filed earlier.
Notably the Kolkata Court earlier allowed CBI to conduct polygraph test on Ghosh in relation to the Doctor's death.
Case details : Sandip Ghosh v WB, Diary No. 38744-2024)