The Calcutta High Court on Friday (February 7) dismissed an appeal by the West Bengal government challenging the life sentence awarded to Sanjay Roy, convicted of the brutal rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College.

However, the court admitted a separate appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had handled the probe.

A division bench of Justices Debangsu Basak and Shabbar Rashidi delivered the ruling after earlier reserving its verdict following arguments presented by the Advocate General for the state and Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, who represented the CBI.

On January 20, a Sealdah court sentenced Roy, the sole accused in the case, to life imprisonment. Dissatisfied with the ruling, the West Bengal government challenged the verdict in the Calcutta High Court the next day, demanding the death penalty.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her disappointment over the case's outcome, attributing the verdict to the case being transferred out of state jurisdiction.

“If the case stayed with us, we would have ensured the death penalty long back. The case was taken away from us. We had said that if we cannot do it, then hand it over to the CBI. Because we want justice,” Banerjee said.

During a hearing on January 22, the Calcutta High Court questioned the state government’s legal standing to appeal a lower court's decision in this matter.

Justice Debangsu Basak’s bench stressed the importance of hearing all concerned parties—including the victim’s family, the convict, and the CBI—before making any decision on whether to admit the state’s plea for the death penalty.