Supreme Court Reiterates Order on Victim's Privacy in R G Kar Hospital Rape-Murder Case

The Supreme Court reaffirmed its directive prohibiting intermediaries from publishing the name and photo of the victim in the R G Kar Hospital rape-murder case. Advocate Vrinda Grover highlighted the distress of the victim's parents due to ongoing social media disclosures. A bench noted substantial leads in the CBI investigation.

The Supreme Court on Monday reiterated its earlier order that no intermediary is allowed to publish the name and photo of the victim in R G Kar Hospital rape-murder case. As the hearing commenced, advocate Vrinda Grover told a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that the parents of the deceased victim are disconcerted by repeated clips in social media disclosing her name and photos.

The top court said it had already passed an order on this issue and it was for the law enforcement agencies to implement the order. It clarified its earlier order and said it applies to all intermediaries.

The bench noted that substantial leads have come up in the CBI investigation and it has given statements on both aspects -- alleged rape and murder and the financial irregularities.

The hearing is currently underway. The top court on September 17 had said it was disturbed by the findings given in a status report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the rape-murder case but refused to divulge the details, saying any disclosure may jeopardise the ongoing investigation. On September 9, the top court had voiced concern over the absence of the ''challan'', a key document forwarding the body of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata for postmortem, from the records presented before it and sought a report from the West Bengal government. On August 22, the apex court had tore into the Kolkata Police over the delay in registering the unnatural death of the woman doctor, who was raped and killed at the hospital, calling it ''extremely disturbing'', and questioned the sequence of events and the timing of its procedural formalities. The top court had earlier constituted a 10-member National Task Force (NTF) to formulate a protocol for ensuring the safety and security of doctors and other health care professionals. Terming the incident as ''horrific'', the apex court had excoriated the state government over the delay in filing the FIR and allowing thousands of people to vandalise the state-run facility. The rape and murder of the junior doctor in a seminar hall of the state-run hospital has sparked nationwide protests. The medic's body with severe injury marks was found on August 9. A civic volunteer was arrested by the Kolkata Police in connection with the case the following day. On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14.

(With inputs from agencies.)