Two women were arrested during protests outside the RG Kar hospital in September.

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into allegations of torture inflicted on two women arrested in September during protests against the rape and murder of a doctor in the hospital. RG Kar Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.

The top court passed an order rejecting the Calcutta High Court’s order ordering a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said not everything could be transferred to the CBI.

The top court also said the probe should be handed over to senior state IPS officers.

The top court said the SIT, which will comprise senior officers – whose names have been submitted by the West Bengal government – would submit a weekly report on the progress of the investigation to the Calcutta High Court.

“We request the Chief Justice of the High Court to constitute a bench before which the SIT will submit its report…The SIT should investigate without being influenced by the previous comments of the High Court. The victim can immediately contact the SIT” , the bench said.

The case concerns two women, Rebeka Khatun Molla and Rama Das, who were arrested during protests outside RG Kar Hospital earlier this year and released a day later.

Shortly after their release, the women filed a complaint in the High Court, alleging that they had been “physically tortured” while in police custody. In court, a prison doctor noted that there were signs of a hematoma (a solid swelling of clotted blood in the tissue) in one of the women’s legs. However, an examining physician at Diamond Harbor Medical College and Hospital testified that he witnessed it. no external injuries.

The women also alleged that they were “unnecessarily” arrested on charges of “inciting” another protester to make comments against TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s daughter.

On November 6, a division bench of the High Court upheld a single judge’s order directing a CBI probe into the allegations made by the women. However, on November 11, the top court had stayed the order.