SC rejects fresh CBI probe in RG Kar rape-murder, asks parents to move HC

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea by the parents of the RG Kar Medical College doctor, who was raped and murdered in August 2024, seeking a fresh Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. A bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna ruled that the petitioners could approach the Calcutta High Court for further legal action. “Without making any observations, we dispose of the application, granting liberty to the applicant to seek relief from the High Court,” the bench stated.

The case pertains to the death of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor whose body was found inside the hospital premises on August 9, 2024. The initial investigation was handled by Kolkata Police but was later transferred to the CBI following public protests and allegations of a cover-up. In January 2025, a Sealdah court convicted Sanjay Roy, a former civic volunteer, sentencing him to life imprisonment without parole and imposing a fine of Rs. 50,000. The CBI has appealed to the Calcutta High Court seeking the death penalty, while the victim’s family has also demanded a harsher sentence and a further probe into alleged involvement of other individuals.

Senior advocate Karuna Nundy represented the victim’s parents in the Supreme Court, arguing for a broader investigation beyond the conviction of Roy. However, the apex court deemed it appropriate for them to seek redressal in the High Court. Previously, the Calcutta High Court had advised the parents to seek clarification from the Supreme Court on whether it could adjudicate their plea for a further probe. Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta represented the CBI in the proceedings.

Meanwhile, the victim’s father has alleged that despite over seven months since the incident, the family has not received her death certificate. He claimed that officials at Swasthya Bhavan, the hospital, and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation are not cooperating. “We have not yet got the death certificate of my daughter. We are being harassed by officials at various departments whenever we go for the certificate. They are telling us that giving the death certificate is against the rules,” he said.

With the Supreme Court directing the parents to the Calcutta High Court, the next phase of legal proceedings will continue there. The High Court will now hear both the CBI’s plea for a death sentence and the parents’ request for further investigation into the case.