New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate carried raids at six locations, including the residence of Sandip Ghosh, the former principal RG Kar Medical College & Hospital, in Kolkata in connection with the financial irregularities case registered by the CBI. Sandip Ghosh is under intense scrutiny over alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor there last month.
The raids come on a day when the Chief Justice DY Chandrachud-led bench of Supreme Court is all set to hear petition filed by Sandip Ghosh challenging Calcutta High Court transferring the probe into financial irregularities in RG Kar Hospital from state-constituted SIT to the CBI "without hearing him". He had sought impleadment in the matter before HC but it was refused
The CBI on Monday arrested the former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal after the 15th day of questioning by the agency. Ghosh's security guard Afsar Ali (44), and hospital vendors Biplav Singha (52) and Suman Hazara (46) who used to supply material to the hospital were also arrested in connection with the case.
Ghosh is the second major accused to be arrested at the hospital since August 9.
Earlier, a Kolkata Police civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, was arrested by the Kolkata Police and handed over to the central agency in connection with the medic's alleged rape and murder.
On August 23, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe into the alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar hospital to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following a petition by former deputy superintendent of the facility, Dr Akhtar Ali, who prayed for a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into multiple counts of alleged financial misconduct at the state-run institute during Gosh's tenure as its principal.
Ghosh served as principal of RG Kar Medical College from February 2021 to September 2023. He was transferred from RG Kar in October that year but inexplicably returned to that position within a month. He held his position at the hospital till the day the hospital doctor was found dead.
In his plea, Ali accused Ghosh of illegal sale of unclaimed corpses, trafficking of biomedical waste and passing tenders against commission paid by medicine and medical equipment suppliers.
Ali also alleged that students were pressured to pay amounts ranging between Rs.5 and 8 lakhs to pass exams.
The former principal was sent on forced leave by the state government after the murder of the trainee doctor came to light. The incident has sparked widespread protest in the state including by doctors and the common public.
The agitating doctors have stuck to their demand to suspend the accused officer pending inquiry. Protestors across social and political circles of the state have accused the Mamata Banerjee administration of shielding Ghosh by not issuing a suspension order.