Sanjay Roy, convicted of the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old on-duty doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The verdict was pronounced by Anirban Das, Additional District and Sessions Judge of the Sealdah court, on Monday (January 20).
Despite his conviction, Roy, a former civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, maintained his innocence, claiming he was “being framed.”
The CBI, which investigated the case, had argued that the crime fell under the "rarest of rare" category and demanded the death penalty to uphold societal faith in justice. However, the court ruled otherwise, stating that the case did not meet the criteria for such an extreme sentence.
In addition to the life sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Roy and directed the West Bengal government, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to compensate the victim’s family with Rs 17 lakh.
The horrific crime came to light on August 9 last year when the semi-naked body of the doctor was discovered in the seminar hall on the hospital’s third floor.
Roy was arrested a day later and was recently found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Political Reactions
The verdict has sparked significant political and public debate. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her government would approach the High Court to seek the death penalty for Roy, asserting that the punishment should be stricter for such heinous crimes.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury expressed disappointment with the court’s decision, noting that the public had expected harsher punishment.
“Only one person was convicted. The judgment does not meet the expectations of the people,” he said.
Rekha Sharma, former National Commission for Women chairperson and current Rajya Sabha MP, strongly criticized the state government’s handling of the case. She alleged government interference, claiming that without it, the verdict could have been different.
The verdict was pronounced by Anirban Das, Additional District and Sessions Judge of the Sealdah court, on Monday (January 20).
Despite his conviction, Roy, a former civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, maintained his innocence, claiming he was “being framed.”
The CBI, which investigated the case, had argued that the crime fell under the "rarest of rare" category and demanded the death penalty to uphold societal faith in justice. However, the court ruled otherwise, stating that the case did not meet the criteria for such an extreme sentence.
In addition to the life sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Roy and directed the West Bengal government, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to compensate the victim’s family with Rs 17 lakh.
The horrific crime came to light on August 9 last year when the semi-naked body of the doctor was discovered in the seminar hall on the hospital’s third floor.
Roy was arrested a day later and was recently found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Political Reactions
The verdict has sparked significant political and public debate. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her government would approach the High Court to seek the death penalty for Roy, asserting that the punishment should be stricter for such heinous crimes.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury expressed disappointment with the court’s decision, noting that the public had expected harsher punishment.
“Only one person was convicted. The judgment does not meet the expectations of the people,” he said.
Rekha Sharma, former National Commission for Women chairperson and current Rajya Sabha MP, strongly criticized the state government’s handling of the case. She alleged government interference, claiming that without it, the verdict could have been different.
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