A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday released multiple cases related to the RG Kar rape and murder, citing a heavy roster. The bench, comprising Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Rai Chattopadhyay, remarked that a judicial commission formed by the state would require a detailed hearing. "Given the heavy roster of this court, we are inclined to release these matters from this bench," the bench stated. Consequently, the matters will be placed before Chief Justice Sujoy Paul for reassignment. This marks the third bench to release the cases after being assigned by the Chief Justice.
Previous Benches Recuse Themselves
Earlier, a single bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh had released the matter from his list on August 28, 2025. The parents of the RG Kar PGT doctor, who was raped and murdered in 2024, had moved his bench, dissatisfied with the investigation. Justice Ghosh recused himself, noting that two other petitions challenging convict Sanjay Roy's punishment were pending before the division bench of Justice Debangsu Basak. Subsequently, the division bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md Shabbar Rashidi released the case on March 11, 2026. The bench observed that one of the litigants had written to the Chief Justice seeking an expeditious hearing. "Since we are no longer the regular appeal court hearing criminal appeals and considering the number of matters pending in our regular determination, we are not in a position to accord the requisite priority to the hearing of these matters, as desired by one of the litigants," the bench noted. It also mentioned that the matters had been adjourned at least once due to the Senior Advocate of that litigant.
Cases Clubbed Together
The RG Kar matter includes several cases clubbed together: the victim's parents' case seeking further probe after being unsatisfied with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, the sole arrested accused Sanjay Roy's plea against his conviction, and the CBI's plea seeking enhancement of Roy's punishment from life imprisonment to the death penalty. On Tuesday, the CBI filed a report in a sealed cover, which was inspected in court by the RG Kar victim's parents' counsel, senior advocate Jayanta Narayan Chatterjee.
Background of the Case
A 31-year-old junior doctor was raped and murdered in the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024. In January 2025, the Sealdah court convicted Sanjay Roy for the rape and murder of the victim, sentencing him to life imprisonment. The conviction was based on a CBI probe, which was handed over to them by the Calcutta High Court from the Kolkata Police.
