CBI To Probe Financial Irregularities At Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital, Former Principal Dr Sandip Ghosh Under Lens

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has got another case into its hands related to Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, where a 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered.

On Friday (23 August), the Calcutta High Court transferred the investigation into alleged financial misconduct at the hospital from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the CBI, Indian Express reported.

The SIT had been established by the West Bengal government to investigate allegations of corruption at the hospital dating back to January 2021, during the tenure of former principal Dr Sandip Ghosh.

The transfer was ordered by the court while hearing a petition filed by Akhtar Ali, former deputy superintendent of the hospital. The court directed the CBI to take over the probe by 10 am on Saturday.

Ali had approached the court seeking an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the corruption allegations against Dr Ghosh, who had been transferred twice due to corruption accusations but was reinstated on both occasions.

A single-judge bench, led by Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj, instructed the state administration to hand over all relevant documents to the CBI by Saturday. The CBI is expected to provide a progress report on the investigation in three weeks, with the case set to be reviewed by the court again on September 17.

Dr Ghosh, an orthopedics professor, assumed the role of principal at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in mid-2021, after being promoted from Calcutta National Medical College (CNMC).

On July 14 of the previous year, Ali submitted a complaint to the state vigilance commission, accusing Ghosh and two others of misusing government funds, illegally distributing assets, awarding contracts to ineligible bidders, and violating financial regulations.

The complaint also alleged that Ghosh had sold hazardous biomedical waste unlawfully and misappropriated COVID-19 funds to create a gym and renovate office spaces. Ghosh is already facing CBI questioning in the rape and murder case of the trainee doctor.

Opposition parties in West Bengal have accused Ghosh of having close ties with leaders of the Trinamool Congress and government officials. Santanu Sen, a former Rajya Sabha MP and TMC leader, also called for a CBI investigation into Ghosh.