The parents of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital expressed disappointment on Tuesday after the Supreme Court scheduled the next hearing “four months” later.
They also questioned why the CBI had not kept them in the loop about the progress of its investigation.
Reacting to the date of the next hearing fixed by the Supreme Court, the bereaved mother said: “We have understood that the Supreme Court will not take our responsibility. We have already waited for four months and the matter has been delayed by another four months. For us, it is a long time. Our days are passing by counting minutes and seconds. Compared to that, four months is a very long time.”
Asked whether the parents had lost hope, she said: “We are disappointed but have not lost hope. We will continue to try. Else our daughter will never get justice.”
During the hearing in the apex court on Tuesday, the CBI said the trial is likely to be completed in another month.
After a detailed enquiry about the progress of the trial in the lower court, the Supreme Court scheduled the next hearing for March 17, 2025, around three-and-a-half months from now.
The court gave liberty to all stakeholders to approach it for an earlier date if the trial in the lower court is delayed.
The slain doctor’s father accused the CBI of lying in court.
“We were surprised to see how someone could speak such blatant lies in a court. The Supreme Court is monitoring the case but that is happening based on lies,” he said.
“The CBI told the court that they are in touch with the victim’s parents. But no one has contacted us. They had told us that they would consult us before filing the chargesheet. But they submitted the chargesheet in the Sealdah court without informing us. I have been texting them asking when they would submit the supplementary chargesheet. No one is responding.”
Expressing disappointment that the Supreme Court will next hear the case in March 2025, the father said: “If the trial ends in another month, what purpose will be served by hearing the case (in the Supreme Court) after four months? The trial will end by then. What will the Supreme Court monitor?”
However, the family also said they have not lost faith in the CBI.
“We have not lost faith in the CBI. It is our last resort. But we are very disappointed. If a blind person loses faith in his lathi, will he be able to walk?” the father said.
“A request to any politician would not yield any result. We have realised that no one is going to help us. Everyone is saying big things but in reality, no one is bothered about our daughter. We have lost her. It is our personal loss and we have to fight for justice alone.”
