RG Kar case: KMC orders demolition of ‘unauthorised’ rooftop pergola at Dr Sandip Ghosh’s residence

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s Building Department has ordered the demolition of an allegedly unauthorised structure at the house of Dr Sandip Ghosh, an accused in the RG Kar rape and murder case.

The property is located at 83, Badan Roy Lane. The hearing was conducted in the court of KMC Special Officer (Building) S Boral.

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As per the civic body, a new pergola had been constructed on the rooftop, while an iron spiral staircase was installed to access the lift machine room. Also, a brick wall was built in place of a door on the second floor.

Notably, a “pergola” is an open-style rooftop structure or shade, usually made of iron, wood, or similar materials. It is often built for decoration or as a sitting area.

During the hearing, the property representatives stated that the pergola was not part of the approved building plan and would be removed during renovation work.

After reviewing the matter, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation ordered that the rooftop pergola must be demolished within 45 days.

This comes as the division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday, May 21, directed a fresh investigation into the RG Kar case by a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The SIT will be headed by an officer in the rank of Joint Director of the central agency.

Order was passed by the division bench of Justice Shampa Sarkar and Justice Tirthankar Ghosh after considering the demands raised by the victim’s family members in the matter and observing that their plea for a fresh probe was justified.

Initially, an SIT of Kolkata Police had started the investigation in the matter and arrested the sole convict in the case, Sanjay Roy, an erstwhile civic volunteer attached to the city police. Later on, the CBI took over the probe after a direction from the Calcutta High Court and also identified Roy as the sole accused in the crimes of rape and murder.