As doctors’ protests intensify in the country, the Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

A bench of Chief Justice of Supreme Court DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the case on August 20.

On Thursday, two lawyers practicing in the Supreme Court wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India urging him to take suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College. “The nation looks to the judiciary as the ultimate guardian of justice, the last refuge for those whose cries have been silenced by brutality.”

“The victim in this case is a young doctor whose life was dedicated to serving others. She deserves nothing less than the full measure of justice that our legal system can provide. Her death must not be in vain; it must galvanize us to act and ensure that no other woman suffers such a fate,” stated the letter.

It was also stated that the time has come for the judiciary to send a clear and resounding message that such heinous crimes will not be tolerated. The sanctity of life and the dignity of women must be fiercely protected by the full might of the law.

Earlier on August 16, the Calcutta High Court slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government after a mob attacked and vandalised the RG Kar Medical College & Hospital on August 14 night during a protest against the sexual assault and murder of a trainee doctor saying an absolute failure of State machinery.

The Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, T.S. Sivagnanam, said that the Court took the matter since it received an email on the vandalism and mob attack at the hospital.

A division bench termed it a sorry state of affairs. The State Police was not able to protect itself, how can these doctors work fearlessly, the Court asked? The Court said it would shut down the hospital and shift the patients to other hospitals.

The Chief Justice slammed the state and said, “You pass Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) for any reason, but when so much commotion is going on, you should have cordoned off the entire area. This is an absolute failure of state machinery.” The Court wondered how 7,000 people come walking.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday handed over citizenship certificates to 188 Hindu refugees in Gujarat.

Addressing an event at Ahmedabad, Shah slammed Congress for appeasement politics over the Citizenship Amendment Act, saying a large number of refugees were denied citizenship rights in the country.

During the event for distributing citizenship certificates under CAA, the Home Minister asserted that CAA is not just for giving citizenship to people, it is also to give justice and rights to lakhs of people.

He accused the grand old party of appeasement politics and said people seeking refuge did not get justice from 1947 to 2014. They were tortured in neighbouring countries because they were Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jain, but they were also tortured in their own country, he added.

Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation of various development projects in Gujarat. Speaking on the occasion, the Union Home Minister said Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has resolved to plant 30 lakh trees in 100 days. He has also joined this campaign.

The people of Ahmedabad should also join it, he appealed. Can we plant the number of trees equal to the number of our family members, he asked. Shah added environmental change and global warming are two extreme dangers for humans today. “PM Modi has called for ‘Ek Ped Maa ke Naam’ and planting a tree with our mothers. All of us should understand our responsibility and plant a tree and look after it”, he said.

After receiving the citizenship certificate through CAA, Prem Lata, a refugee said, “We were not allowed to live there peacefully. We were harassed there. We came here and got the citizenship. We are very happy.”

Another refugee who got citizenship through CAA said: “I came here in 2008. I got citizenship today. I thank PM Modi and HM Amit Shah for it. We got a new life after coming to India. Our children could not get educated. It was difficult for women to get out of their homes.”

Days after the announcement of Assembly elections by the Election Commission, the former Jammu and Kashmir Minister Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali joined the BJP at the party office in Jammu on Sunday.

After joining the saffron party, Ali cited the reason for joining BJP. The former PDP leader Ali said that the policies of the BJP have attracted him, adding that the party is going to form the government comfortably. “I think BJP is the only option people have which can give them justice”, he added.

Ali said that the policies and schemes of the BJP have reached even the last person in the queue. These things compelled him to join the BJP. Every person received the ‘sehat card’ which the people of his area refer to as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi card, he added.

He further said that peace has been restored in J&K, stone pelting has ended, the common man feels more secure, and the tourism industry has grown. He expressed his belief that together they would form the government in the Union Territory.

The Apni Party leader Ali further questioned the National Conference party leader Omar Abdullah and wondered what Omar Abdullah has done for J&K. They have been giving only slogans after ruling for 70 years, Ali said.

Yesterday, he met with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding several issues in his area. Speaking to a reporter, he said he had a detailed discussion over the upcoming Assembly elections in J&K also. He said he would join the saffron party on Sunday or August 18.

Meanwhile, Former J&K Minister and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) leader Taj Mohiuddin will join Congress. Speaking to a reporter, he said he has been in Congress for 45 years, and for some reason he had gone out but now he is returning home.

The DPAP issued a circular to address rumours around its merger with Congress. Ever since Azad left the Congress Party, neither Azad has approached any Congress leader nor any Congress leader has ever approached Azad directly or telephonically.

Thus, these rumours are totally baseless and false, just to create confusion and break the party, it read. Azad has requested all our party leaders and workers not to get into this trap and also requested the media persons not to give any importance to these rumours, it added.

On Javaid Mirchal joining the National Conference today, the party leader Omar Abdullah said it is the good fortune of the National Conference that a leader like Javaid Mirchal who is connected to the public, who has a deep relationship with his voters and people, is joining the National Conference today. It is a big thing that Mirchal came to the National Conference without putting any conditions.