Charges framed against RG Kar Medical College's ex-principal

A special Central Bureau of Investigation CBI court on Monday framed charges against Dr Sandip Ghosh the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital along with four others in connection with a case of alleged financial irregularities reported PTIDr Ghosh was the principal of the institution at the time of the rape and murder of an onduty doctor on campus on August 9 last yearHe was arrested by the CBI in the financial case amid widespread protests following the incidentThe court framed charges under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Ghosh and coaccused Afsar Ali Biplab Singh Suman Hazra and Asish Pande The trial is scheduled to begin on July 22Last year the Calcutta High Court had transferred the investigation from a stateappointed Special Investigation Team SIT to the CBI citing the sensitivity and complexity of the financial allegationsGhoshs lawyer Zohaib Rauf argued that his client was being made a scapegoat and expressed confidence that the trial would prove Ghoshs innocence stating that no financial wrongdoing had occurredDr Ghosh remains in judicial custody in connection with this caseThe CBI submitted its charge sheet on November 29 last yearIn addition to the financial case Dr Ghosh has also faced accusations of tampering with evidence in the rape and murder case He is currently out on bail in that matterThe sole convict in the rapemurder case Sanjay Roy mdash a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police mdash has been sentenced to imprisonment for life The CBI continues to investigate further angles related to the rape and murder caseIIMCalcutta rape case Accused bought sleeping pills to spike complainants drink say policeThe student accused in the alleged rape at the Indian Institute of ManagementCalcutta IIMC campus has admitted to police that he purchased sleeping pills from a nearby pharmacy which he used to spike cold drinks and water offered to the woman prior to the assault a senior Kolkata Police officer said on MondayAccording to investigators the IIMC student made the admission during interrogation However police have noted inconsistencies in his statementsldquoThe accused has confessed to having bought sleeping pills and adding them to beverages offered to the woman when she visited him But he has failed to provide a clear explanation for his intentions in doing so especially given that she came to him seeking counsellingrdquo the officer saidCircumstantial evidence reportedly confirms that after consuming the spiked cold drink the survivor was taken to a room in the boysrsquo hostel where the alleged crime took placeldquoPostcrime the accused phoned a friend and described what had happened He was seen loitering in the corridor outside the room where the assault allegedly occurred during that conversationrdquo the officer addedPolice are continuing to verify several elements of the case including the exact nature of the survivorrsquos professional backgroundldquoThere is some confusion regarding whether the woman is actually a certified psychologistrdquo the officer notedThe case has sparked concerns over safety on premier academic campuses and raised broader questions around student conduct accountability and institutional safeguards for women IIMCalcutta has yet to issue a detailed public statement beyond confirming the incident and its cooperation with the authoritiesPolice are expected to press charges under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code following the completion of forensic and digital evidence analysisWith PTI inputs