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RG Kar College Rape And Murder:  Taking the suo motto cognisance of the mob vandalism at the RG Kar Medical College where the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor took place, the Kolkata High Court on Friday blasted the Mamata Banerjee-led state government, calling the incident an 'absolute failure of the state machinery'. Hearing the matter, the Chief Justice made scathing observations about the lawlessness in the capital city.

The High Court asked the state counsel how a large gathering was allowed and how they entered the medical college and the same building which was a crime scene. However, the counsel could not satisfactorily answer the questions of the Chief Justice.

The Court asked the state counsel why was permission given to the vandals to enter the campus premises.

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"Normally the police always has an intelligence wing. Similar things happened on Hanuman Jayanti. If 7,000 people are to gather, it is hard to believe the state police did not know. Why did you grant permission," the High Court asked.

While the state said that no permission was granted, it failed to satisfactorily justify the failure of the intelligence apparatus.

'Sorry State Of Affairs': HC Lambasts

The High Court further made scathing remarks on the competence of the police force, asking them if they could not protect their own men, how can they protect the doctors? The CJ chided it as a sorry state of affairs.

"...they couldn’t protect their own men? Sorry state of affairs. How will these doctors work fearlessly?" the Court asked.

Bench Asks 'Why Renovation Work Near Crime Scene'

The bench - led by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya - further grilled the state, asking what was the hurry to initiate the renovation work near the crime scene. It asked the state to submit a reply to the allegations that the renovation work was carried out to destroy the evidence from the crime scene.

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"All these allegations that PO (place of occurrence) has been demolished, destroyed, nothing is correct. The demolition work that happened was not near the PO," the state counsel refuted the claims.

"What was the urgency? ...You go to any district court complex, and see if ladies have any restrooms! I say this with responsibility. What has the PWD done? ... We'll shift patients to another hospital, close to the (RG Kar) hospital. That will be the best. All the stories - 'within 12 hours rest room have to be provided' - see the condition of the restrooms in the court complexes!" Chief Justice Sivagnanam said as quoted by Bar and Bench.