Kolkata — West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya asserted on Saturday that the bail granted to former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh does not establish his innocence, according to reports. Bhattacharya emphasized that the judicial system cannot be governed by public sentiment and noted that bail remains a fundamental legal right.
The Supreme Court recently granted Ghosh bail in a case concerning alleged financial irregularities at the institution and the manipulation of merit scores to benefit undeserving candidates. The legal scrutiny surrounding Ghosh intensified following widespread public outrage over the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at the hospital on August 9, 2024.
Addressing the mood surrounding the case, Bhattacharya acknowledged that participants in the ongoing Abhaya movement might feel discouraged by the development. However, he reiterated that legal frameworks operate independently of emotions. He maintained that securing bail does not clear an individual of involvement or prove non-culpability, suggesting that technical and procedural considerations often influence such judicial decisions.
In granting the relief, the Supreme Court pointed to the substantial period Ghosh had already spent behind bars and the sluggish pace of the trial. Ghosh had pursued Supreme Court intervention after a special CBI court repeatedly denied his bail requests and the Calcutta High Court dismissed his petition.
Previously, a Sealdah court had granted Ghosh bail in the core rape and murder case in December 2024 after the Central Bureau of Investigation failed to submit a chargesheet within the statutory 90-day window, though he remained detained due to the parallel corruption allegations. The West Bengal government subsequently sanctioned his prosecution in the financial corruption case in May. Bhattacharya reiterated that the recent release is purely a procedural legal step and does not amount to an acquittal or a finding of innocence in the ongoing proceedings.