Court told to review progress in doctor’s murder probe

Delhi High Court (Photo: Twitter)


A trial court has been asked by the Delhi High Court to monthly review the progress in the investigation into the disappearance of an St Stephen’s Hospital doctor as well as the alleged murder of one of his colleagues. The missing doctor, not traceable since August last year, is an accused in his colleague Shashwat Pande murder case.

The order was passed by a bench of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice IS Mehta while disposing of a plea filed by Vandana Gupta to find out the whereabouts of her son Dr Suyash Gupta.

In its order, the bench has recorded that a status report was filed by the Delhi Police giving the details about the investigation by the Sabzi Mandi police to ascertain the doctor’s whereabouts.

At this stage, however, the report could not be shared with the missing doctor’s mother, it stated and ruled, “This status report, therefore, be kept in a sealed cover by the registry and not be permitted for inspection except under orders of the court.”

The bench said that every possible effort was being made by the police from all possible angles to unearth the truth. It made the observation while addressing the concerns of the aggrieved mother that there was no real progress in the case.

The metropolitan magistrate hearing the matter has been asked by the High Court to lift the case at least once a month with a view to reviewing the progress made in the investigation in this regard.

The worried mother, through her counsel Jayant Bhatt, approached the High Court for its intervention to issue a direction to the police to find out her missing son. The doctor has been missing since the day his colleague, working as an intern in the radiology department of the hospital, was found murdered.