The Supreme Court has expressed serious concerns regarding the West Bengal government’s failure to protect the life of a junior doctor and the subsequent attempts to destroy crucial evidence. The court has criticized the state for its delay in filing an FIR and for denying the parents timely access to their daughter’s body. However, the pressing question that resonates across the nation is whether justice can truly be served while Mamata Banerjee remains in power as the Chief Minister, Home Minister, and Health Minister of West Bengal. The Supreme Court has given the West Bengal government until Thursday to respond to these grave concerns. But should the nation wait for three more days, hoping for a decisive verdict? Should the court direct Mamata to step down, or should the central government intervene to dissolve her administration? The situation raises troubling questions about the court’s approach. While the three-member bench criticized the Director General of Police (DGP), it largely ignored Mamata Banerjee’s responsibility, despite her dual roles in overseeing both the health and home ministries. The Supreme Court, in what seems like a display of restraint, may be waiting to hear the state government’s side of the story. Nevertheless, it has also directed the CBI to submit a status report on the investigation. The court, despite the frequent interjections by defence lawyer Kapil Sibal, didn’t shy away from questioning the government’s apparent complacency. Chief Justice of India (CJI) sharply questioned how a responsible government could allow such a catastrophic breakdown of law and order, especially in the wake of the 31-year-old junior doctor’s rape and murder. The fact that a mob of 7,000 armed individuals was allowed to wreak havoc on hospital infrastructure raises serious concerns about the state’s handling of the situation. Sibal’s defence—that 150 police officers were present and that the entire incident was recorded—seems feeble in the face of such overwhelming violence. His assertion that political tensions inevitably lead to such incidents only underscores the state’s failure to maintain order. In a significant move, the CJI accepted documents from the CBI, represented by Attorney-General of India Tushar Mehta and a team of women lawyers, which suggested that the crime was premeditated and that the government had failed to protect the doctors and nurses in the hospital hostel. A senior doctor’s letter highlighted the dire situation, revealing that out of over 640 hostel inmates, 600 fled in fear, leaving only a handful behind. This prompted the Supreme Court to order the Mamata government to relinquish control over hospital security and directed the Central government to deploy Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel. Recognizing the growing vulnerability of the medical community, the court has also established a 10-member National Task Force. This group, composed of eminent doctors from across the country, will develop standardized guidelines to ensure the safety, security, and hygiene of hospitals nationwide. The SC had also directed the Mamata government to show utmost restraint against the agitating doctors across the state. With these judicial interventions, the ball is now in the Centre’s court. The central government must consider placing West Bengal under President’s Rule, at least temporarily, to ensure that justice is served—not just for the deceased doctor, but for the entire state, where law and order have deteriorated alarmingly. Mamata Banerjee, too, bears a heavy responsibility. After the Supreme Court’s pointed criticisms, the moral course of action would be for her to resign and allow an impartial, court-monitored CBI investigation to proceed unhindered. Only then can there be hope for true justice in West Bengal.
Can justice prevail with Mamata Banerjee at the helm?
