Cal HC Directs WB Govt To Engage RG Kar Protest Face Mahato At Same Hospital As Senior Resident

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The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered the West Bengal government to immediately appoint Dr. Aniket Mahato, a prominent face of the RG Kar Medical College protest movement, as a senior resident in the Department of Anaesthesiology at the same institution.

Justice Biswajit Basu set aside the state’s May 27, 2025, notification that had posted Mahato at Raiganj Medical College and Hospital in Uttar Dinajpur, calling the move a violation of the principle of reasonableness.

“The state has committed a serious wrong, which demands intervention,” the judge observed while directing Mahato’s engagement at RG Kar.

The court also refused the state’s request for a stay of the order until October 7, which would have allowed time to file an appeal.

Allegations Of Targeting Protest Leaders

Appearing for Mahato, his lawyer argued that he and two other doctors were deliberately targeted for their role in the RG Kar protest movement, which erupted after the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee in August 2024.

The counsel alleged that instead of following the merit-based SOP for deploying senior residents, the state “punished” the three doctors by posting them to distant hospitals against their choice, while less meritorious candidates were favoured for RG Kar.

Mahato had specifically opted for one of the four vacancies in Anaesthesiology at RG Kar, but the seat was allotted to another doctor with lower merit, his lawyer told the court.

Background

The controversy stems from the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College, whose body was found in a seminar room on August 9, 2024.

The incident triggered massive protests across Kolkata and nationwide outrage over safety conditions for doctors in government hospitals.

In March 2025, a sessions court in Sealdah sentenced the accused, Sanjay Roy, to life imprisonment until the end of his natural life, after finding him guilty of the crime.