Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the removal of the name, photos, and videos of a trainee doctor, who was allegedly raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, from all social media platforms.

The three-member bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, emphasized that revealing the identity of a sexual assault victim is a violation of a previous Supreme Court ruling in the Nipun Saxena case, which stresses the need to protect victims from public scrutiny.

Chief Justice Chandrachud issued an injunction against the publication of the deceased’s identity, noting that social and electronic media had unlawfully shared the victim’s name and images following the recovery of her body. All media platforms were ordered to comply with this directive.

The bench, which also included Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, was responding to a plea filed by lawyer Kinnori Ghosh and others, objecting to the disclosure of the trainee doctor’s identity on social media.

The plea highlighted that the victim’s name and related hashtags had been widely circulated on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). Earlier in the day, the court expressed deep concern over the widespread publication of the deceased’s identity on social media.

The Supreme Court reiterated that while free speech is important, there are clear legal boundaries, referencing the 2018 Nipun Saxena judgment which prohibits the publication of a sexual assault survivor’s identity.

The trainee doctor’s body was discovered on August 9, and a civic volunteer, Sanjoy Roy, was arrested by Kolkata Police the next day in connection with the rape and murder. Roy is currently being questioned by the CBI and may undergo a polygraph test.