CBI gets 8-day remand of RG Kar ex-principal Sandeep Ghosh, 3 others in corruption case

Meanwhile, the West Bengal Health Department on Tuesday suspended Ghosh, a day after his arrest along with the three in the alleged corruption case. Ghosh was questioned for nearly 15 days before his arrest in the wake of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Hospital on August 9.

The four were escorted to the Alipore court amid a massive protest by lawyers and locals who raised slogans against them, especially the former RG Kar Hospital principal.

Praying for 10 days of custody, the CBI submitted in the court that the alleged irregularities at the RG Kar Hospital were huge and involved even more people.

The agency’s counsel emphasised the need for these arrests for the investigation, citing a nexus between the four and others. Pointing to a conspiracy, the CBI claimed to have in its possession documentary evidence against them.

The CBI alleged that during Ghosh’s tenure, contracts were awarded in a planned manner to certain favoured individuals, resulting in undue benefits to them.

“A lot of financial irregularities took place and all of these persons are part of the nexus. The case is basically of financial irregularities…It is important to question all of them to get details,” the agency said.

Requesting a shorter remand period, the defence lawyer sought leniency, stating that his client (Ghosh) has cooperated with the agency.

The defence, however, did not seek their bail, it is learnt.

While being taken to the Alipore court under heavy security cover of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, scores of people shouted slogans against Ghosh and called him names.

The protesters even manhandled him, demanding that the CBI hand him over to them.

The state government’s order on Ghosh’s suspension read, “In view of the ongoing criminal investigation against Prof (Dr) Sandip Ghosh, ex-principal, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, he is placed under suspension… with immediate effect.”

The Calcutta High Court had on August 23 ordered the transfer of a probe into the alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar from a state-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the CBI.

The direction came in response to a petition by former deputy superintendent of the facility, Dr Akhtar Ali, who sought a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into multiple counts of alleged financial misconduct at the state-run institute during Ghosh’s tenure as its principal.

Ghosh served as principal of RG Kar from February 2021 to September 2023 before being transferred in October that year. But he returned in that position within a month and held it till the day the doctor was found raped and murdered. — With PTI inputs