The Supreme Court hearing of the R G Kar rape and murder case that was scheduled for Thursday has likely been postponed since the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud will not be holding court today.
"Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India will not be holding the Court on 05.09.2024 (Thursday). Hence, sitting of Chief Justice’s Court comprising Hon’ble the Chief Justice, Hon’ble Mr. Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Hon’ble Mr. Justice Manoj Misra stands cancelled, and the matters listed before this Bench will not be taken up for hearing," a notice issued by the apex court read.
However, the notification does not specify when the matter will be listed next.
Amid this news, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on X posted "Taarikh pe Taarikh", a reference to Damini, starring Sunny Deol, where the protagonist had to fight tooth and nail to get justice for the house help who'd been gangraped by her brother-in-law and his friends.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people from various walks of life gathered across Kolkata on Wednesday night to press for a swift probe into the heinous crime and arrest of the guilty as they demanded justice for the woman doctor who was raped and murdered at the state-run R G Kar hospital last month.
Amid continued protests by medics, Indian Medical Association president Dr R V Asokan on Wednesday urged all doctors to resume work, leaving the job of delivering justice to the Supreme Court.
"The anger and frustration of the entire nation is over the fact that she happened to be a budding doctor as well as that she was the only girl child of lower-middle-class parents. The entire nation has adopted her as their daughter," the IMA chief said.
Referring to the protests by doctors across the country, Dr Asokan said the medical fraternity was "justifiably on the boil".
Resident doctors hit the road with anger and deep sorrow, he said adding the IMA had also called for withdrawal of medical services barring emergency care for 24 hours.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the situation and has formed a National Task Force to formulate a protocol for ensuring the safety and security of doctors and other healthcare professionals.
(With PTI inputs)