Kolkata, Oct. 1 -- The Calcutta High Court on Thursday came down heavily on the state police for registering a fresh case over issues already being investigated by the CBI in the RG Kar rape-murder case, questioning whether the Khardah police had initiated the probe to "play tricks" with the court.

The division bench of Justice Shampa Sarkar and Justice Tirthankar Ghosh was hearing a complaint lodged by the deceased doctor's father at Khardah police station on August 10. The court noted that the issues raised were already being investigated by the CBI pursuant to an earlier direction of the High Court.

The bench said both the CBI and State agency could not investigate the "self-same issue" and transferred the Khardah case to the same SIT probing the CBI case relating to the August 2024 incident.

The court directed the Khardah investigating officer to take no further steps and immediately hand over all records to the CBI SIT. The records were also ordered to be transferred from the ACJM, Barrackpore, to the ACJM, Sealdah.

The SIT was directed to assess whether further custody was required for any accused in the Khardah case and move the jurisdictional court accordingly. The bench also said it was not satisfied with the explanation offered by the Khardah police station's Inspector-in-Charge and investigating officer, and cautioned them to be more careful. The order comes nearly two months after the fresh FIR was registered on the victim's father's complaint over the alleged hurried cremation of her body. Former TMC MLA Nirmal Ghosh and two others were arrested in the case. Police alleged that the body was moved ahead in the crematorium queue, potentially preventing a second autopsy.

Millennium Post had reported on August 13 that the fresh probe raised a legal question over whether the State police could separately investigate allegations already covered by the High Court-monitored CBI probe. Police had maintained that the Khardah case concerned the alleged hurried cremation and was distinct from the CBI's investigation.

The High Court's order has now brought the Khardah investigation under the existing CBI SIT.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.