‘Will Remove You From Court’: Why CJI Chandrachud Lost His Cool During Kolkata Case Hearing

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Tuesday reprimanded a senior lawyer who sought a court directive for the removal of Mamata Banerjee as West Bengal Chief Minister. The counsel's request was based on Banerjee's alleged mishandling of the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

During the Supreme Court’s ongoing suo motu hearing on the Kolkata case, tensions flared. As the session neared its end, the senior counsel attempted to file an interlocutory application demanding Banerjee's resignation. CJI Chandrachud voiced his dissatisfaction with the application’s political nature.

CJI Chandrachud interrupted the counsel, stating, “One second, who are you appearing for? This is not a political forum. Please, you are a member of the bar. We don't require your affirmation of what we say, please listen. What you say has to abide by the rules of legal discipline. We are not here to hear what you feel about a political functionary or the other, that's not our concern.”

He further clarified that the court’s focus was on addressing the grievances of the protesting junior doctors in Kolkata. “If you ask me to direct that the chief minister to resign, that's not part of our remit,” Chandrachud added.

The CJI intervened once more as the counsel persisted despite the warnings. “One second. Listen to me first, otherwise I will have you removed from the court,” Chandrachud warned before the hearing concluded for the day.

The West Bengal Junior Doctors Forum has made it clear that their demands do not include the chief minister’s resignation. Instead, they seek concrete action on their five-point list of demands.

CBI status report on Kolkata rape-murder case 'disturbing': SC

The Supreme Court today said it was disturbed by the findings given in a status report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the rape and murder of trainee doctor at RG Kar government hospital in Kolkata but refused to divulge the details, saying any disclosure may jeopardise the ongoing investigation.

Seeking a status report from the CBI on its probe into financial irregularities allegedly committed by jailed former principal of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Ghosh, the top court, referring to the rape and murder case, said the agency is not "sleeping over" the investigation and it needs to be given time to "unearth the truth." "What the CBI has revealed in the report is really disturbing. What you are flagging is of utmost concern. We ourselves are concerned, CBI has flagged it for us. We are ourselves disturbed by what we have read," the top court told a lawyer who claimed discrepancies in the seizure list and sketch of the crime scene.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also asked the protesting junior doctors in West Bengal to resume work and recorded the assurance from the state government that it will not take any adverse or punitive action against them.

Taking note of a letter written by the father of the deceased, the top court directed that the "valuable" inputs furnished by him should be duly considered by the investigating officer.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, assured the court that the investigating agency will maintain contact with the parents of the deceased junior doctor and keep them informed about the ongoing probe to assuage their genuine concerns.

As the hearing commenced, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal government, sought stopping of the live proceedings in the case. He alleged that women lawyers working in his chamber were facing threats of acid attacks and rape.