Kolkata, May 17 -- The hearing of multiple petitions linked to the RG Kar rape and murder case will now take place before a newly constituted division bench of the Calcutta High Court, amid fresh legal developments in the matter that triggered nationwide outrage in 2024.

On Saturday, Chief Justice Sujoy Paul directed that the case be placed before the bench of Justice Shampa Sarkar and Justice Tirthankar Ghosh. The order comes days after another division bench stepped aside from hearing the matter.

Several pleas connected to the case are presently pending before the High Court. The victim's family has sought a fresh probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the alleged rape and murder of a junior doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024. A separate petition has also been filed seeking permission for the family to inspect the place where the crime allegedly took place.

Meanwhile, the CBI has challenged the sentence awarded to convicted civic volunteer Sanjay Roy and sought the death penalty before the High Court. Roy, on the other hand, has moved the court claiming he was wrongly convicted and seeking relief against the trial court verdict.

Earlier this month, a bench headed by Justice Rajasekhar Mantha recused itself from hearing the matter, observing that the proceedings required urgent attention.

Meanwhile, former Calcutta High Court judge and BJP MP Abhijit Gangopadhyay had on Saturday levelled serious allegations against CBI investigating officer Seema Pahuja in connection with the RG Kar rape and murder probe. Visiting RG Kar Medical College and Hospital wearing a doctor's apron, he alleged that crucial evidence was ignored or suppressed during the investigation and claimed the officer should herself be brought under investigation.

Gangopadhyay also alleged that a nurse was asked to delete a video recorded after the incident and claimed certain locations inside the hospital, including a staircase and a sealed room linked to the case, were not properly examined by the CBI.

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