Kolkata city court on Thursday granted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) permission to conduct polygraph tests on the former principal, Dr. Sandip Ghosh, and four doctors from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. These individuals were reportedly with the victim, a 31-year-old trainee doctor, the night before she was found dead. The CBI suspects they had dinner with the victim before the incident.
The CBI is currently investigating the events of August 9, when the trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered on the hospital premises. The agency had approached the Sealdah ACJM court to obtain permission for the polygraph tests, which was subsequently granted.
This comes after the Supreme Court, while hearing a suo moto case taken over the incident, directed the Sealdah court on Thursday to pass necessary orders by 5 pm on Friday.
The request for conducting a polygraph test has been submitted before the ACJM Sealdah. It is stated to be under process. The ACJM Sealdah shall pass orders on the application no later than 5 pm on August 23Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra
It is important to note that polygraph test results are not considered a "confession" and are inadmissible in court. These tests are conducted to assist investigators by providing potential leads from suspects, but they are not scientifically proven to be entirely reliable.
The Supreme Court also questioned the West Bengal government regarding the "14-hour delay" in filing the First Information Report (FIR) in this case. Previously, the CBI had sought permission from the Sealdah court to conduct a polygraph test on Sanjay Roy, the prime accused, who was arrested a day after the incident. Roy, a civic volunteer with the Kolkata police, was handed over to the CBI following his arrest.
The CBI has already interrogated the former principal, Dr. Sandip Ghosh, for over 75 hours since Friday. The four doctors, who were with the victim the night before her death, have also been questioned by the agency earlier.
Investigations have determined that the incident occurred between 4:00 and 4:30 a.m. on August 9, with the victim's body discovered around 9:45 a.m. in the chest seminar room on the third floor of the emergency building. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party organized a protest rally in Salt Lake on Thursday, prompting the deployment of police personnel at Swasthya Bhavan, the state health department's headquarters.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Ankur Deka/MSM)