Kolkata, January 20:
On Monday, Sanjoy Roy, a 34-year-old man, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sealdah court in Kolkata for the rape and murder of a post-graduate trainee doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Roy was found guilty by the court on Saturday under Sections 66 (rape), 64 (causing injury leading to death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In addition to the life sentence, the court ordered the state government to provide a compensation of ₹17 lakh to the victim’s family.
Anirban Das, the additional district and sessions judge, delivered the verdict at around 2:50 pm after hearing statements from the accused, who maintained his innocence, the victim’s parents, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the case following a directive from the Calcutta High Court on August 13.
The Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Bench took up the case on September 20 through a suo motu petition.
Before the hearing began on Monday, the victim’s parents expressed dissatisfaction with the CBI’s efforts, stating that they had failed to apprehend other suspects involved in the crime.
“We are disappointed with the CBI, but we remain hopeful that the judge will ensure they continue their investigation,” said the victim’s father.
During a 36-minute hearing prior to sentencing, both the parents and CBI’s lawyer, Partha Sarathi Dutta, called for the death penalty for Roy, describing the crime as “rarest of the rare.”
Roy, who was escorted to the court from Kolkata’s Presidency Correctional Home under tight security, argued that he had been framed by Kolkata Police after his arrest on August 10, the day following the crime. The in-camera trial concluded on January 9.
During Monday’s hearing, Roy’s lawyers requested a sentence other than the death penalty. On Saturday, the judge had declared him guilty in a packed courtroom.
“…The minimum punishment for your crime is life imprisonment and the maximum is the death sentence…,” the judge stated directly to Roy.
Roy, a former civic volunteer for Kolkata Police, was the principal accused in the CBI’s chargesheet. The trial lasted for two months, with hearings taking place every day except holidays at the Sealdah court, where 51 witnesses were examined. The CBI framed charges against Roy on October 4.
Throughout the trial, Roy’s lawyer, Saurav Banerjee, contended that evidence against him had been planted to implicate him.
Amartya Dey, representing the victim’s family, demanded the death penalty but also pointed out that Roy did not act alone in the crime.
The victim’s family had approached the Supreme Court in early January, calling for action against other suspects in the case.
The CBI has yet to file charges against Dr. Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College, and Abhijit Mondal, the former officer-in-charge of Tala police station, although both have been arrested by the CBI on charges of tampering with evidence.
Ghosh is also under investigation in a separate case involving financial corruption at the hospital.
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