The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Dr Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, over alleged financial misconduct within the medical establishment. The arrest was made following his questioning for the 15th consecutive day at the CBI’s Salt Lake office in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at the hospital on August 9.
Dr Sandip Ghosh was subsequently escorted to the CBI’s Nizam Palace office in Kolkata, where he was officially placed under arrest by the agency’s anti-corruption wing.
He faces charges under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (criminal conspiracy) read with Section 420 IPC (cheating and dishonesty), and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018), which pertains to the unlawful acceptance of gratification by a public servant. According to a senior lawyer from the Calcutta High Court, the combined charges are non-bailable and account for cognizable offenses.
The First Information Report (FIR) against Dr Sandip Ghosh was lodged after the CBI took over the investigation from a state-constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT).
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This transfer followed an order by the Calcutta High Court, which came in response to a petition by Akhtar Ali, the former deputy superintendent of RG Kar Hospital. Ali had requested an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the alleged financial misconduct at the institution.
In his plea, Ali accused Dr Sandip Ghosh of engaging in several illegal activities, including the sale of unclaimed corpses, trafficking of biomedical waste, and awarding tenders in exchange for commissions from suppliers of medicine and medical equipment. Additionally, he alleged that Ghosh pressured students to pay between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 8 lakh to pass their exams.
Dr Sandip Ghosh served as the principal of RG Kar Hospital since February 2021 until recently. Despite being transferred from the institution in October 2023, he was inexplicably reinstated to his position within a month and continued to serve as principal until the day the trainee doctor was found murdered. Following the crime, Dr Sandip Ghosh was removed from his post at RG Kar Hospital but was controversially reinstated by the Mamata Banerjee government as the principal of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital (CNMC) within hours.
In the wake of widespread student protests at CNMC and the ongoing corruption inquiry, Ghosh has been placed on indefinite leave. The investigation into both the financial misconduct and the circumstances surrounding the trainee doctor’s death continues, as the case has drawn significant attention and scrutiny.
