CBI’s revelation in Kolkata hospital rape-murder report is disturbing, says Supreme Court chief justice

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the status report of the RG Kar rape-murder case provided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is “worse” and “really disturbing” stating that the probe agency will be given more time “to unearth the truth”.

“What the CBI has revealed in the report is worse, really disturbing… what you are flagging is of utmost concern, we ourselves are concerned, CBI has flagged it for us..we are ourselves disturbed by what we have read,” Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said during the third hearing of the case which is under the scanner of the entire nation.

A three-judge bench led by the CJI said the CBI is not “sleeping over” the probe and the investigating agency has responded to the issues that the court has flagged.

The CJI said as quoted by Live Law, “Making a disclosure today of what the CBI is investigating will jeopardise the process, the line which is taken by the CBI is to unearth the truth.. the SHO (Station House Officer who was the officer-incharge during the discovery of the crime) himself has been arrested… CBI has responded specifically to the issues we have raised, including whether the challan in the statutory form was submitted along with the postmortem…

“CBI is also exploring the possibility of whether the scene of the crime was tampered with, evidence was destroyed, whether there was the complicity of other persons in failing to report the crime etc…”

“The CBI, apart from performing its independent investigation, is also addressing the issues we raised. There is still time to complete the investigation. We have to give CBI adequate time, they are not sleeping over. To put any time limit will be to dislocate the investigation…They are required to be given time to unearth the truth,” the CJI added.

Contrary to what CBI has claimed in the court, State’s counsel advocate Kapil Sibal said the full video records have been handed over to the central probe agency.

“Mr SG, can you not summon Kolkata police.. and get the footage…you need to see whether hash value changed or not.. CBI has to ensure this.. your investigating officer has to ensure this…make sure that the CBI seizes the entire DVR and footage, we hope that the CBI does it,” the CJI said as quoted by Live Law.

Towards the end of the hearing, Sibal told the court that the challan of post-mortem was not used since 1997.

Rejecting Sibal’s citation, the CJI said, ” We don’t buy the explanation, once there is a statutory form, you can’t say that it was not used.”

Meanwhile, prominent legal mind Indira Jaising is representing the protesting junior doctors now in the Supreme Court. She told the court that the agitators are keen to quit cease-work but they are worried about the safety and security at hospitals.

Advocate Jaising said the call on quitting cease-work will be taken by the junior doctors only after a General Body.

Advocate Kapil Sibal, the counsel for West Bengal state, pleaded before the CJI that the junior doctors should resume work.

“Ceasework must stop now,” Sibal said.

On when junior doctors will be able to return to work, Jaising said, “I can’t give a date.”