RG Kar Medical College and Hospital ex-principal Sandip Ghosh finds himself in deeper soup after Calcutta high court issued an instruction on Friday to the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the corruption charges against him.
On Thursday, while the Supreme Court was pulling up the state government, the bench of Calcutta high court Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj had questioned why it took the rape and murder of a 31-year-old woman doctor inside the medical college for the state to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the corruption charges that were raised against Ghosh much earlier.
The SIT was formed on August 16 with three IPS officers.
“This court shall refrain from delving into the merits of the case. However it must be determined whether the enquiry remain with the SIT or be transferred to the CBI,” Justice Bharadwaj observed. “It is noted that subsequent to the incident on August 9 and inquiry by the CBI. Therefore, the court directs that the case be transferred to CBI and multiple agencies would lead to inefficiencies and delays in the process.”
The high court asked the SIT to transfer the documents to the CBI by 10.30 am on Saturday.
The single bench of the high court had taken up a plea by former deputy superintendent at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Akhtar Ali, who had filed several complaints against Ghosh. The charges against Ghosh were not probed then. Ali was transferred out of the hospital.
“You cannot deny the aspersions of financial irregularities as alleged against you,” Justice Bharadwaj told former principal Ghosh’s counsel.
Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud in both the hearings held on Tuesday and Thursday at the Supreme Court had raised questions on the role of Ghosh after the discovery of the young doctor’s corpse at the seminar hall on the third floor of the emergency building. Why was Ghosh appointed as principal of another medical college, the CJI had asked.
Ali had accused Ghosh of mismanaging dead bodies and selling hospital waste. Former Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP – and RG Kar Medical College and Hospital alumni – Shantanu Sen had alleged question papers were leaked in return of money and the entire exam process was controlled by Ghosh and his cronies.
This is a charge that many interns at RG Kar have repeated in conversations with The Telegraph Online as well.
Ghosh was transferred twice from the college but returned both the times.
Facing heat over the rape and murder case, he had tendered his resignation but chief minister Mamata Banerjee after her meeting with the victim’s family had announced that Ghosh was being transferred.
He was assigned as head of the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital but could not join after facing protests from students. Calcutta high court Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam ordered him to go on leave.
The state health secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam on Friday claimed that Ghosh is still on leave and has not been reinstated.
