A Kolkata court expressed its dissatisfaction with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday, advising the agency not to be “so casual” when requesting the extension of judicial custody for former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and Tala Police Station SHO Abhijit Mondal, as reported by India Today.
The CBI is investigating Ghosh and Mondal for their alleged involvement in the rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata on August 9. During the proceedings, the agency sought to prolong the custody of both accused, citing the discovery of “new and crucial facts” from data extracted from DVRs, hard drives, and mobile phones, including CCTV footage from the Tala police station. However, the two defendants contested the CBI’s request.
Advocate Ayan Bhattacharya, representing Mondal, argued that his client had not been questioned “even for a single minute” since his arrest and suggested that the CBI was merely seeking to extend custody to delay his bail. “I have been in judicial custody for days, yet not questioned for a single minute. If the CBI has the data, why do they need my custody again?” he contended, according to the India Today report.
Similarly, Ghosh’s attorney, Zohaib Rauf, questioned the necessity of extending custody for his client, asserting that Ghosh had no connection to the data recovered from the Tala police station. “I was the principal of RG Kar hospital, not Tala police station. Why should I be questioned for this?” he stated on behalf of the former principal.
After hearing the arguments, the judge remarked that “the CBI shouldn’t be so casual in making applications.” The court denied the agency’s request for an extended judicial custody, ordering that Ghosh and Mondal remain in custody until October 4. The court instructed the CBI to return if the accused “did not cooperate” during interrogation.
Earlier this month, the CBI arrested Mondal and charged Ghosh with evidence tampering. Ghosh had been in judicial custody since September 2 due to alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar hospital, while Mondal faces accusations of evidence tampering, delaying the registration of an FIR, and other related offenses.