The Sealdah Civil and Criminal Court on Monday awarded a life sentence to convict Sanjay Roy and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for the gruesome rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College in August 2024.
The prosecution including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the basis of forensic evidence, consisting of DNA, toxicology reposts, and CCTV footage accused Roy of the crime. He was convicted under sections 64, 66, and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, having sentences ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty.
The prosecution implied the crime to be one among the ‘rarest of rare cases’ and therefore demanded capital punishment for the convict. The court however denied categorizing it under the said bracket.
Roy’s defense lawyer had urged the court not to give any capital punishment and to provide a chance to reform the convict. He asked the prosecution to prove that Roy was not eligible for reform. To which the prosecution retaliated with it being a betrayal on the part of Roy as a civic volunteer encharged with the hospital’s security to indulge in the heinous crime.
The court also directed the West Bengal government to pay a sum of Rs 17 lakh to the victim’s parents. This was denied by them who stressed complete justice to be their only goal. Judge Anirban Das underscored it is not to be taken as compensation but as a liability of the state according to the rule of law.
The victim’s parents also expressed their sorrow over the investigation and believe that this cannot be considered complete justice, as they believe that, along with Roy, there were other individuals also behind this heinous crime.
The 31-year-old post-graduate medical student was on night duty on the day of the incident. The next day, she was found dead in the seminar hall of the emergency building of the hospital. The incident sparked nationwide protests, with doctors suspending their duties for several days.
