R.G. Kar scam: Bengal govt okays framing of charges against Sandip Ghosh

The West Bengal government has finally given the no-objection certificate (NOC) for beginning the process to frame charges and initiate a subsequent trial process against Sandip Ghosh, the controversial former principal of the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.

He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the multi-crore financial irregularities at the said medical entity. This was informed by the CBI counsel to a single judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on 28 January, Tuesday. It is learnt that the state government gave the NOC on 27 January, Monday evening.

Accordingly, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed the completion of the process of framing charges and initiation of the subsequent trial process within a week.

On Tuesday, the CBI also submitted a progress report on the investigation into the matter in a sealed envelope to the Calcutta High Court. The CBI counsel also informed the court that their investigation is at the final stage.

Besides the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a parallel probe into the case of financial irregularities at R.G. Kar.

While CBI started its investigation following an order by the Calcutta High Court, the ED made a suo motu entry in the matter to investigate the money-laundering angle, after filing an enforcement case information report (ECIR).

Altogether five persons have been named by the CBI in its charge sheet in the case. They are Sandip Ghosh, his assistant-cum- bodyguard Afsar Alir, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra and a junior doctor Ashish Pandey. All of them are in judicial custody now.

The main charges in the case include manipulation in the tendering process of R.G. Kar, getting infrastructure-related work done there by private contractors bypassing the state public works department against the hefty commission, smuggling of bio-medical wastes from the hospital outside and finally selling organs of the unidentified bodies coming to R.G. Kar morgue for post-mortem purposes in the open market at premium prices.