Kolkata

On Friday, the Calcutta High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe into alleged financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata, linked to former principal Dr. Sandip Ghosh. Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj, acting on a petition by whistleblower Akhtar Ali, a former deputy medical superintendent at R.G. Kar, mandated that the CBI investigation be monitored by the court.

Justice Bhardwaj also instructed the West Bengal government’s special investigation team (SIT), formed earlier this week, to hand over all relevant documents to the CBI by 10 a.m. on Saturday. He requested a progress report from the CBI within three weeks.

The CBI’s new investigation into financial irregularities will run alongside its current probe into the rape and murder of a woman doctor at the same hospital earlier this month. During the hearing, Justice Bhardwaj questioned the timing of the state government’s SIT, noting that the state health department was aware of these irregularities a year ago. He criticized the delay in action, pointing out that the seriousness of the matter seemed to have only been acknowledged recently. Earlier this week, the West Bengal government announced the formation of a special investigation team led by an Inspector General of Police, comprising four senior IPS officers. Opposition parties have labeled this move as a mere formality.