Supreme Court Refuses Blanket Protection to Doctors Protesting After RG Kar Rape-Murder Case
SC: Cannot Monitor Kolkata Protests From Delhi, Calcutta HC Better Placed
The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to issue general directions shielding doctors protesting the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, observing that such orders would interfere with police authority.
The Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma said the matter could not be addressed in fragments and indicated its inclination to shift the entire issue to the Calcutta High Court for continuous monitoring.
“We are grappling with so many things and there is no end to this. It is easier for the Calcutta High Court to monitor protests. Is it possible for us to monitor protests in Kolkata sitting in Delhi?” the Bench remarked. The Court further added, “How can we pass blanket orders protecting doctors. The police has a right to call you.”
Senior Advocate Karuna Nundy, appearing for the Association of junior and senior doctors, argued that medical professionals were being repeatedly called for interrogation and subjected to harassment. She sought protection orders to prevent further police action against those participating in demonstrations.
The Court directed Nundy to place before it a tabulated chart detailing matters pending before the Calcutta High Court.
The case will now be taken up after the winter vacation.
The trainee doctor was found murdered in the hospital’s seminar room on August 9 last year. A civic volunteer, Sanjay Roy, was arrested a day later, and on January 20, a Kolkata trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment until death.
In January this year, the Court had asked hospitals to regularise the absence of doctors who participated in protests against the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Kolkata. The Court had ordered that doctors who returned to duty after 22 August 2024 would have their absence regularised and that the said period would be considered as time on duty, not as leave.
Earlier, on 9 December 2024, while noting that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) trial might conclude within a month, the Supreme Court directed the National Task Force (NTF) to submit its final report within 12 weeks.
On 22 August 2024, the Supreme Court had assured doctors protesting over the Kolkata rape and murder incident, that no coercive steps shall be taken. This order came after a counsel informed the CJI Chandrachud-led bench that protesting doctors were facing backlash. Notably, on January 20, the Sealdah Sessions Court in Kolkata sentenced the main accused, Sanjoy Roy, to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College.
Hearing Date: November 19, 2025
Bench: Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma