Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former RG Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh saying he has been in custody for over two years and only seven of 147 witnesses have been examined by a CBI trial court.Ghosh, arrested in the aftermath of the RG Kar rape-murder in Aug 2024, was implicated in large-scale corruption by CBI.An apex court bench of justices MM Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale, in its order, said: “Suffice it to state that appellant (Ghosh) has undergone incarceration for more than two years and we have been informed that only 7 out of 147 witnesses have been examined so far. In such view of the matter, considering the period of incarceration and also the stage of trial, we are inclined to set aside the impugned order passed by the High Court and allow this appeal.”A Calcutta High Court bench had on Feb 23 turned down Ghosh’s bail plea, prompting him to move Supreme Court.After the bail order, Ghosh may walk out of Presidency jail. His lawyer Md Zohaib Rauf said, “There are no pending cases against him in which there is an order for custody. ED is also probing the case, but he has not been arrested in that case.”Ghosh was chargesheeted by CBI under multiple penal sections and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and is facing trial. The charges against him are two-fold. The first is regarding financial irregularities at RG Kar where he was the principal. The second is on accommodating undeserving candidates through manipulation of merit scores. The charge sheet alleges that around 24 candidates were made house staff (in RG Kar) in 2024 alone after Ghosh manipulated merit scores.The apex court added that the trial court will fix the bail conditions.The RG Kar rape-murder had sparked public outrage and allegations of an institutional cover-up under Ghosh. Critics pointed to suspicious delays in notifying the victim’s family, initial claims of suicide, and hasty administrative renovations near the crime scene. Following widespread doctor strikes, the CBI arrested Ghosh in Sept 2024.
