Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder Case: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a mandate to remove the name, photos, and videos from social media of the trainee doctor who was allegedly raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata from all social media platforms. The directive was given by a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. Chief Justice Chandrachud highlighted that revealing the identity of sexual assault victims breaches a Supreme Court order from the Nipun Saxena case. This order stresses the protection of victims from public scrutiny. He stated that this court is compelled to issue this injunctive order due to the media’s publication of the deceased’s identity and body images.
Plea Against Disclosure
The bench, which included Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, was reviewing a petition filed by lawyer Kinnori Ghosh and others. The plea contended that the victim’s name and associated hashtags were extensively circulated across social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter).
Supreme Court’s Concerns
Earlier, the Supreme Court expressed deep concern over the widespread publication of the deceased’s name. The Court underscored that while free speech is valued, it must be balanced with established legal protections. The Nipun Saxena case established that the identities of sexual assault survivors must not be disclosed in any form of media.
The trainee doctor’s body was discovered on August 9. Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer, was arrested the next day by the Kolkata Police for his alleged role in the incident. Roy is currently under investigation by the CBI and is expected to undergo a polygraph test.