Kolkata, March 19 (IANS) A new bench of the Calcutta High Court was constituted on Thursday to hear the matter of the gruesome rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital here in August 2024.

The new bench comprises Justices Rajasekhar Mantha and Rai Chattopadhayay.

The new bench was constituted because earlier this month, the previous division bench of Justices Debangshu Basak and Md Shabbar Rashidi recused itself from hearing the matter because it was no longer hearing criminal matters.

The previous bench was allotted to hear the matter by then Calcutta High Court Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, since that bench was hearing criminal matters then. After the division bench of Justice Basak and Justice Rashidi recused itself from hearing the matter, it was referred back to the current Chief Justice Sujoy Paul.

Finally, on Friday, the Chief Justice allotted the matter for hearing to the new division bench of Justice Mantha and Justice Chattopadhayay.

On the morning of August 9, 2024, the body of a junior doctor of Kolkata's state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital -- the victim of ghastly rape & murder -- was discovered from a seminar hall within the hospital premises.

After a prolonged hearing in the matter, a trial court in Kolkata convicted the sole accused, Sanjay Roy, an erstwhile civic volunteer of Kolkata Police, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. However, since the victim’s parents were not satisfied with the findings of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s investigation into the matter, especially regarding identifying Roy as the sole convict in the case, they approached the Calcutta High Court with their contentions against the CBI findings.

They also pleaded for a fast-track hearing in the matter.

Meanwhile, the CBI is currently continuing its investigation into the angle of a larger conspiracy behind the crime of rape & murder, and has also filed a few progress reports to the trial court in the matter.

--IANS

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