RG Kar Horror: Court Rejects CBI’s Chargesheet Against Sandip Ghosh in Financial Fraud Case

Kolkata: The Special CBI Court in Alipore rejected a chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday in the RG Kar Hospital financial irregularities case. The court cited the absence of mandatory approval from the West Bengal government, as one of the accused, Sandip Ghosh, is a state government employee.  

Chargesheet in RG Kar Hospital Case Rejected Over Missing Approval 

The CBI filed a chargesheet in connection with the RG Kar Hospital financial irregularities in which it has named former principal of the medical establishment Sandip Ghosh as the prime accused, an official said.

The Special CBI court, however, did not accept the chargesheet as the official approval required to file a chargesheet against any state government employee was not available, he said.

Chargesheet Details  

The chargesheet, spanning over 100 pages, names Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Hospital, as the prime accused. Four others — Biplab Singh, Afsar Ali, Suman Hazra, and Ashish Pandey — have also been listed for their alleged involvement. Over 1,000 pages of documents were attached to substantiate the investigation.  

The case revolves around financial fraud at the RG Kar hospital, including rigged tenders for medical equipment and other irregularities spanning over three years. Ghosh allegedly favored close associates for tenders in exchange for commissions.  

The CBI took over the investigation on August 23 after the Calcutta High Court transferred the case from a state-led Special Investigation Team (SIT). The decision followed a plea by Dr. Akhtar Ali, a former hospital deputy superintendent, who accused Ghosh of corruption, illegal sale of unclaimed bodies, and biomedical waste trafficking.  

Background  

The chargesheet was submitted nearly three months after Ghosh's arrest in September. His suspension came weeks after the body of an on-duty doctor was found in the hospital's seminar room in August, raising further concerns about the institution's operations during his tenure.

(With Inputs from PTI)