The horrific rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata has sent shockwaves across the country, prompting the Supreme Court to take up the case. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud is set to hear the matter today.

The case, now under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has raised multiple critical issues, including the sanctity of evidence, the rule of law, the safety of healthcare professionals, and broader concerns about women's security in the workplace. This incident has also placed significant pressure on West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress, particularly since women—a key constituency for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee—are expressing their outrage.

The Calcutta High Court handed the investigation over to the CBI a week ago following an appeal from the victim’s parents, who were dissatisfied with the police's handling of the case. This decision came despite assurances from Chief Minister Banerjee that the Central agency would be brought in if the police failed to make progress by August 18.

The case took a dramatic political turn when the Mamata Banerjee government transferred Sandip Ghosh, the Principal of RG Kar Medical College, just hours after he had resigned. Ghosh had stepped down from both his position and government service after facing severe criticism on social media. However, the Calcutta High Court intervened, sending him on long leave and expressing its displeasure at how the situation was handled. The court noted that, even if his resignation had not been accepted, a responsible official should have been relieved from his duties and not reassigned to another role of equal responsibility.

From the outset, the police’s handling of the case has been under scrutiny, particularly concerning the delay in allowing the victim’s parents to view her body, the contents of the postmortem report, and the swift arrest of a civic volunteer. When ordering the CBI probe, the High Court highlighted the lack of progress in the investigation, stating that the victim's parents had legitimate concerns about the potential destruction of evidence and the influence over witnesses.

The postmortem report revealed 16 external and nine internal injuries on the victim’s body, with no signs of broken bones, contrary to the rumors circulating on social media. While there was no mention of gangrape or 150 mg of semen, some doctors have indicated that it would be improbable for a single attacker to inflict such severe injuries.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the state administration and police of a large-scale cover-up, especially after a mob attacked the hospital’s emergency department on August 15, coinciding with the statewide "Reclaim the Night" demonstration. The BJP claims this attack was another attempt to erase evidence.

The victim, a second-year postgraduate student, had gone to rest in an empty seminar room on Thursday night after a 36-hour shift, as the hospital lacked an on-call room. Her partially clothed body, bearing multiple injuries, was discovered the next morning. Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police who had access to all hospital departments, has been identified as the prime suspect.

The CBI has questioned Sandip Ghosh multiple times and plans to conduct a lie-detector test on the accused soon. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose has criticized the CBI, noting the lack of updates and emphasizing that the only arrest in the case was made by Kolkata Police.