Vendor Suman Hazra, an accused in the RG Kar Medical College financial corruption case, was granted conditional bail by the Calcutta High Court on Friday, with the court citing the slow progress of the trial, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin.
Hazra, a former vendor associated with the Kolkata medical college, had been arrested in 2024 along with another vendor, Biplab Singh, during investigations into alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar. The Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation began pursuing the corruption allegations after the 2024 case involving the medical college brought renewed scrutiny to its administration.
The report said Hazra and Singh were accused of receiving unlawful advantages during the tenure of former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh. Both men were described as being close to Ghosh, who was also arrested by the CBI in connection with the financial corruption case. Hazra and Singh are residents of Howrah, according to the report.
The Calcutta High Court granted Hazra bail subject to conditions. The order was passed by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh. The report attributed the decision to the delayed progress of the proceedings and said there was no immediate indication that the trial would move ahead at a faster pace.
The case has 147 witnesses, but evidence from only eight had been recorded so far, the report said. The gap between the total number of witnesses and the number examined formed a central part of the argument that the proceedings were taking too long to conclude. The court’s bail decision therefore places the pace of the trial at the centre of the latest development.
Hazra and Singh had remained in custody since their arrests in 2024, according to the report. The case concerns alleged financial corruption at RG Kar Medical College and the alleged provision of improper benefits to individuals connected to the institution’s former administration. The report did not provide details of the conditions attached to Hazra’s bail or indicate the next scheduled hearing date.
The development follows the Supreme Court’s earlier decision to grant bail to Sandip Ghosh before the Durga Puja period. The report said the Supreme Court had considered the delay in the judicial process while granting that relief. Hazra’s bail from the High Court now marks another release involving an accused in the same financial corruption proceedings.
The latest order does not determine the allegations against Hazra or the other accused. Those allegations remain subject to the ongoing court process. The immediate procedural issue highlighted by the High Court is the pace at which evidence is being recorded in a case involving 147 witnesses, with only eight witnesses examined so far.
