The case pertains to the rape and murder of a 31-year-old resident doctor whose body was discovered at RG Kar Medical College’s seminar hall on August 9, 2024. An autopsy confirmed she was raped and murdered, sparking nationwide protests
GUWAHATI: The West Bengal government moved the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, January 21, seeking the death penalty for Sanjoy Roy, who was convicted in the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
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Earlier, the convict was sentenced to life imprisonment by an additional district and sessions court on Monday, as Judge Anirban Das refused to impose the death penalty, stating that the crime did not meet the “rarest of the rare” standard required for capital punishment.
However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to appeal the judgement. “I am shocked to see that the judgement finds this case not to be a rarest of rare one. I am convinced it demands capital punishment,” Banerjee said on X, expressing her discontent over the verdict.
The case pertains to the rape and murder of a 31-year-old resident doctor whose body was discovered at RG Kar Medical College’s seminar hall on August 9, 2024. An autopsy confirmed she was raped and murdered, sparking nationwide protests. Doctors across the country went on strike as a result, demanding enhanced safety and improvised work guidelines for medical professionals.
Sanjay Roy was immediately arrested by the Kolkata Police a day after the incident. Once the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Roy’s trial continued for 57, after which he was convicted on January 18.
In refusing the death penalty, the court had retained its stance by stating that punishment must be guided by evidence and not public sentiment.
