Centre Moves SC Alleging Non-cooperation By WB Government

The SC had taken a serious note of mob violence in the hospital.

New Delhi: Alleging “unpardonable” non-cooperation by the West Bengal government in providing logistical support to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Centre on Tuesday, 03 September 2024 moved the Supreme Court. The CISF has been tasked with providing security at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata where a trainee doctor was raped and murdered.

Terming the alleged non-cooperation of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government as an example “symptomatic of a systemic malaise”, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a direction to West Bengal authorities to extend full cooperation to the CISF.

The Centre urged the Supreme Court to initiate contempt proceedings against the state government officials concerned for “wilful non-compliance” of the court orders.

The SC had taken a serious note of mob violence in the hospital and the allegation that the Kolkata police fled the scene, and ordered deployment of CISF at the hospital to enable doctors to resume work.

In an application filed in the case the SC initiated on its own, the MHA said the plea “concerns the deployment of CISF personnel at the R G Kar Medical College, including the hostels where the resident doctors are staying to ensure their safety”.

“The CISF personnel deployed at RG Kar Hospital are facing severe difficulties due to lack of accommodation and lack of basic security infrastructure. The troops are presently staying at CISF Unit SMP, Kolkata despite the constraints being faced by the accommodating unit,” it said.

The application said the travel time from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), Kolkata to the hospital was an hour from one side and it was difficult to discharge duties effectively and to mobilise CISF troops to duly and promptly respond during contingencies.

It said the MHA had taken up the matter with the chief secretary of West Bengal through a September 2 letter requesting for adequate logistical arrangements and security gadgets required by the force.

“It is submitted that thereafter, there has been no response from the state government to ensure adequate support to the CISF personnels which are deployed to ensure security of the residents/workers in the RG Kar Medical Hospital under the orders of this court,” the application said.

It said such non-cooperation was not expected from a state government in a tense situation as the present one. The safety of doctors, women doctors, in particular, must be the top priority for the state, the application said.

“It is submitted that the inaction of the state of West Bengal, despite repeated requests, is symptomatic of a systemic malaise wherein such non-cooperation with central agencies operating under court orders, is the norm. It is submitted that the same amounts to wilful non-compliance of the orders of this court,” the application said.

It said a state government, duly elected by the people, is supposed to be fair in its conduct, especially when it concerns the security of its residents.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear the case on September 5.

The murder and alleged rape of the junior doctor inside a seminar hall of the state-run hospital has sparked nationwide protests.

On August 13, the Calcutta High Court ordered transferring the probe from the Kolkata Police to the CBI, which started its investigation on August 14.

(With PTI inputs)