Supreme Court grants Sandip Ghosh bail after two years in custody
The ruling limits prolonged pretrial detention as the financial case continues.
Overview
Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of , has won bail after more than two years in custody. The Supreme Court overturned the ’s February 2026 refusal, noting that only seven of 147 witnesses had testified. The case followed scrutiny after the hospital’s rape-murder. It concerns separate claims that Ghosh helped manipulate , allowing undeserving candidates to benefit, and involved financial wrongdoing. The CBI has charged him with conspiracy, , cheating, forgery and .
A trial court rejected bail in January 2025, and the High Court later did the same as the trial moved slowly. The trial court will set his bail conditions, while the case continues. Bail does not prove innocence or settle guilt. The separate rape-murder case also continues. The ruling weighs the serious claims against the concern that someone should not remain in jail without a trial for an unlimited period.
Timeline
The Supreme Court sets aside the High Court order and grants Ghosh bail
The Supreme Court the Calcutta High Court's February 23, 2026 order and granted Ghosh bail in the . The bench considered that he had spent more than two years in custody and that only seven of 147 witnesses had been examined, reflecting concern over .
The trial court must set Ghosh's bail conditions while both prosecutions remain unresolved
The Supreme Court left the terms and conditions of bail to the concerned trial court, and the financial-irregularities trial is to continue with the remaining witnesses and unresolved allegations. Bail does not determine guilt or establish innocence, and the financial case remains legally distinct from the separate rape-murder proceedings, in which Ghosh had already obtained .
The Calcutta High Court rejects Ghosh's bail appeal as the trial continues slowly
The Calcutta High Court rejected Ghosh's challenge to the 's refusal of . By the time the matter reached the Supreme Court, only seven of the 147 cited had been examined, while Ghosh had spent more than two years in custody.
The Special CBI Court rejects Ghosh's bail plea in the financial case
The trial court rejected Ghosh's bail applications in the prosecution concerning RG Kar's alleged financial wrongdoing and merit-score manipulation. The decision kept him detained while the CBI's case proceeded, and the allegations remained rather than established findings of guilt.
A Sealdah court grants Ghosh default bail in the separate rape-murder case
A granted Ghosh bail in the rape-murder case after the CBI did not file a chargesheet within the . The order did not release him because the separate financial-irregularities case was still keeping him in custody.
The CBI charges Ghosh with conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating, forgery and corruption offences
In , the CBI filed a alleging financial irregularities at RG Kar and manipulation of merit scores to favour undeserving candidates. The alleged offences included criminal conspiracy, , cheating, and corruption-related offences, all of which remained allegations to be tested at trial.
The CBI arrests Sandip Ghosh in the RG Kar financial-irregularities case
Ghosh was arrested in the aftermath of the RG Kar controversy and remained in custody in the . His detention in this case continued even after a separate court later granted him in the rape-murder proceedings.
The CBI registers a corruption case over alleged RG Kar irregularities
The CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch registered a separate case concerning alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar during Ghosh's tenure as principal. The case also covered allegations that merit scores were manipulated to accommodate candidates who did not deserve admission or appointment.
RG Kar hospital rape-murder triggers scrutiny of Sandip Ghosh's administration
The rape and murder of a doctor at brought intense scrutiny to the institution and its then-principal, Sandip Ghosh. The subsequent investigation expanded beyond the homicide to alleged wrongdoing in hospital administration, including and manipulation of to accommodate undeserving candidates.