A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma adjourned the matter as it was engaged with a part-heard case.
Senior advocate Karuna Nandy, representing the Association of Junior and Senior Doctors, submitted that doctors who participated in peaceful protests were being called for police interrogation. She requested the bench to schedule an early date for hearing.
The apex court, even after the primary conviction, is actively monitoring multiple ancillary issues, including the regularisation of unauthorised absences of doctors.
The body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the hospital’s seminar room on August 9 last year. Kolkata police arrested Roy, a civic volunteer, the following day.
Taking suo motu notice of the case, the bench constituted a National Task Force (NTF) on August 20 last year to formulate a protocol ensuring the safety and security of medical professionals in the wake of the crime.
In November last year, the NTF, in its report—which formed part of the Central government’s affidavit—stated that a separate central law to deal with offences against healthcare professionals was not required. The panel noted that state laws had adequate provisions to address minor offences, alongside serious ones under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
In a host of recommendations, the NTF highlighted that 24 states had enacted laws to prevent violence against healthcare professionals, while also defining key terms such as “health care institutions” and “medical professionals.”
Initially investigated by the Kolkata police, the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 13 after the Calcutta High Court expressed dissatisfaction with the former’s investigation.
The Supreme Court subsequently assumed oversight of the matter on August 19, 2024. Roy was chargesheeted by the CBI in October last year.
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