Kolkata Rape-Murder Case Hearing: SG Tushar Mehta Rebukes Kapil Sibal, ‘Somebody Has Lost Their Life, Don’t At Least Laugh’

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, admonished West Bengal government counsel Kapil Sibal during a Supreme Court hearing on the Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder case. Mehta criticized Sibal for allegedly laughing while he detailed the serious lapses in the police’s handling of the FIR.

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The CBI presented its status report to the Supreme Court, revealing critical issues in the investigation. The report indicated that the crime scene had been tampered with and that the victim’s family was misled about the cause of death. Initially, the family was informed that their daughter had died by suicide. It was only later that it became apparent she had been murdered.

Mehta highlighted the troubling delay in filing the FIR, noting that it was recorded at 11:45 pm, after the victim had already been cremated. He pointed out that the family had been incorrectly told that the death was a suicide and that the doctor’s friends had insisted on videography to reveal the truth.

The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, found the delay and mishandling of the case by Kolkata Police to be “extremely disturbing.” The Court questioned why the post-mortem was conducted before the case was formally registered, and ordered the Kolkata Police officer responsible for the initial entry to appear in the next hearing to explain the timing.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court urged protesting doctors to return to work, assuring them that no punitive action would be taken against them upon resuming their duties. The Court expressed concern for public health and emphasized the importance of doctors continuing their work to maintain hospital operations.

The brutal murder of the junior doctor, which has sparked nationwide protests, was initially reported to involve a civic volunteer who was arrested by the Kolkata Police the day after the discovery of her body.