Kolkata Rape Case: Supreme Court Takes Suo Motu Cognizance
The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the Kolkata rape and murder case, with Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud expressing concern over the incident. The West Bengal government is now under pressure as the Supreme Court reprimanded it for a three-hour delay in registering the case.
The post-mortem report was available long before the crime was registered. The Supreme Court questioned why it took until 11:45 pm to file the FIR. “The post-mortem revealed that the doctor was murdered, yet the FIR was registered at 11:45 pm. What were the hospital officials doing for three hours?” the court asked. The court also raised concerns about the authorities’ failure to maintain law and order at the scene.
The Supreme Court has constituted a National Task Force to suggest procedures for ensuring the safety of doctors in their workplaces. “It will consist of doctors from various backgrounds who will propose practices to be followed across India, ensuring a safe working environment for doctors of all ages,” Chief Justice Chandrachud stated.
Kolkata Doctor Rape and Murder Case: Who Is in the National Task Force?
The National Task Force includes Surgeon Vice Admiral R. Sarin, Dr. D. Nageshwar Reddy, Dr. M. Srinivas, Dr. Pratima Murthy, Dr. Govardhan Dutt Puri, Dr. Soumitra Rawat, Prof. Anita Saxena (Head of Cardiology, AIIMS Delhi), Prof. Pallavi Sapre (Dean, Grant Medical College, Mumbai), and Dr. Padma Srivastava (Department of Neurology, AIIMS).
No Action Against Protesters
The Supreme Court has urged the West Bengal government not to take coercive action against peaceful protesters. “Do not use force against peaceful protesters. We must handle this with the utmost sensitivity,” the court advised. The Supreme Court emphasized that the safety of doctors, especially women doctors, is a matter of national interest. “The country cannot wait for another rape to take decisive action,” it added.
Chief Justice Chandrachud also questioned the state about the vandalism that occurred at the hospital during the midnight protest on August 14. “The hospital was attacked by a mob, and critical facilities were damaged. What were the police doing at that time? The police must secure the crime scene first,” he stated.
