The Supreme Court today refused to hear a plea filed by Sandip Ghosh challenging the CBI probe into the alleged financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Ghosh is the former principal of Kolkata’s state-run institute.

A bench presided over by Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud said, as an accused, Sandip Ghosh has no locus to intervene in PIL proceedings when the Calcutta High Court is monitoring the investigation and has entrusted the probe to the CBI. Ghosh’s attorney, Meenakshi Arora argued that the petition has not challenged the CBI investigation into the alleged financial irregularities but questioned its linkage with the alleged rape and murder of the doctor in the hospital.

At this, the Bench, also comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said, both aspects are a matter of investigation. On 23rd of last month, Calcutta High Court had directed the CBI to take charge of the investigation into the alleged financial irregularities when Ghosh was in charge of the medical hospital. Acting on a petition by the whistleblower, Akhtar Ali, who is a former deputy medical superintendent of R.G. Kar, a bench of Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj of the Calcutta HC said the CBI inquiry will be court-monitored.

Following the high court order, CBI officials conducted raid and search operations at multiple locations in Kolkata. Ghosh and three others were taken into custody by the CBI’s Economic Offences Wing on September 2. A special court in Kolkata sent Ghosh to eight days CBI custody next day.

The central agency officials are conducting parallel probes in both financial irregularities and rape and murder cases which are court-directed as well as court-monitored.