RG Kar Financial Irregularities Case: Supreme Court grants bail to Former Principal

New Delhi: In a latest development, the Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to Sandip Ghosh, former principal of Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case involving alleged financial irregularities at the institution and the alleged manipulation of merit scores to accommodate undeserving candidates. 

According to the news reports, a bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and Prasanna B. Varale allowed Ghosh’s appeal against the Calcutta High Court’s February 23, 2026, order rejecting his bail application. While granting relief, the apex court took into account the period he had spent in custody and the slow progress of the trial. The court noted that he had been incarcerated for more than two years, while only seven of the 147 witnesses in the case had been examined.

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"In such view of the matter, considering the period of incarceration and also the stage of the trial, we are inclined to set aside the impugned order passed by the High Court and allow this appeal," the Court said, reports Live Law.

The Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s order and granted him bail subject to the terms and conditions imposed by the concerned trial court.

The former principal was chargesheeted in Special Case No. 1 of 2025, arising from a CBI case registered on August 24, 2024, by the agency’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Kolkata.

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has named former RG Kar College and Hospital principal Sandip Ghosh in a recently filed chargesheet, accusing him of aiding two cartels in procuring hospital contracts. The charge sheet also implicates student leader Ashish Kumar Pandey.

The case concerns allegations of financial irregularities during Ghosh’s tenure as principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, along with the alleged manipulation of merit scores to facilitate the admission or selection of candidates who were not entitled to the benefits they received.

The charges include criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery and the use of forged documents under Sections 120B, 409, 420, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with alleged offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Before approaching the Supreme Court, Ghosh had sought bail before the Special CBI Court, which rejected his application on January 7, 2025. His subsequent plea was dismissed by the Calcutta High Court on February 23, 2026.

Senior Advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, along with AOR Aditya Giri and Advocate Hemant Kalra, appeared for Ghosh, while Additional Solicitor General Suryaprakash V.Raju appeared for the CBI, reports Live Law.

The grant of bail allows Ghosh to seek release in accordance with the conditions prescribed by the trial court. It does not amount to an acquittal or a judicial finding on the merits of the allegations, which remain to be decided through the ongoing trial.

Also Read:CBI charges Former RG Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh in Alleged Hospital Contract Scam