Key document in RG Kar rape-murder case found, Supreme Court awaits crucial autopsy form

Kolkata: The ‘missing document’ in the RG Kar rape-murder case, which came under probing questions in the Supreme Court on Monday, has been traced to a one-page application written by a Tala police SI on Aug 9 to the forensics HoD at RG Kar hospital for a “magisterial postmortem and inquest examination” under videography in the presence of a “board of doctors”. The ‘document’ was a part of the Kolkata Police case diary that was handed over to CBI on Aug 13.

This requisition is as per the SOP for medico-legal examinations in Bengal, which was issued in 2020. It says, “Requisition for medico-legal autopsy must be addressed to the head of the department of forensic medicine for medical colleges and superintendent of any hospital.” The police officer seeking the postmortem has to send the death report, injury details and inquest report along with requisition letter for postmortem.

But this does not answer the Apex court’s questions. Explaining why the SC was seeking this document, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud had said: “This document is crucial (to investigation) and of vital importance as it would have recorded the clothes and garments worn by the victim at the time of crime with which the body was sent for post-mortem examination. It is impossible for the doctor, who conducts the post-mortem, to accept the body without this document.”

The SC was specifically seeking the challan for use when a dead body is sent for examinations (PRB Form No 54 — Vide Rule 282, WB Form No 5371). The Bengal govt was directed to produce this in the SC when it hears the case next on Sep 17. This form — used by Bengal police and not Kolkata Police — is very detailed with 10 separate vertical columns, the last three of which ask the investigating officer to detail the marks of injuries, the cause of death and remarks noting which clothes and articles were being sent with the body. Kolkata Police had stopped printing this form long back and follows a procedure of sending requisition.

The Aug 9 requisition (a copy of which is with TOI) shows that Tala police SI Subhas Kumar Jha had sent a formal one-pager endorsed by his OC Abhijit Mondal to the forensics HoD at RK Kar. The subject line read: “Requisition for magisterial postmortem and inquest examination over the dead body of the deceased … (word unreadable) under proper videography and in the presence of a board of directors.”

The requisition refers to the FIR (Tala PS UD case no. 861/24, inquest no. 1139/24), the particulars of the victim (her name and complete address) and also says that the victim’s body after postmortem to be handed over to her mother. But this requisition does not have any separate column mentioning what the victim’s wore or the injury marks on her body.

The other issue that postmortem cannot be conducted after sunset was also raised in the SC. But the state SOP says due to the long pendency of medico-legal examinations, this can be done with appropriate approvals from DCP or police superintendents with approval of the medical college principal.