In this Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, file image RG Kar Medical
College and Hospital rape and murder case convict Sanjay Roy being take to the
CBI office at CGO Complex, in Kolkata. (PTI Photo)
KOLKATA — A Kolkata court sentenced Sanjay Roy to imprisonment till death on
Monday after he was convicted of the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at
the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Anirban Das, the Additional District and Sessions Judge
in Sealdah court, had on Saturday held Roy guilty of the crime committed
against the postgraduate trainee doctor at the hospital on August 9 last year,
which sparked unprecedented and prolonged nationwide protests.
Judge Das said the crime did not fall under the
"rarest of the rare" category, which justified not imposing the death
penalty on the convict.
Roy, a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police,
was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death),
and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The judge stated that under Section 64, life imprisonment
is being awarded, along with a fine of Rs 50,000. An additional five months of
imprisonment will be imposed upon non-payment of the fine, he added.
Under Section 103(1), Roy has been sentenced to life
imprisonment with a Rs 50,000 fine, and another five months in jail if the fine
remains unpaid.
Additionally, under Section 66, he has been sentenced to
life imprisonment till death, the judge said.
All the sentences will run concurrently, Judge Das said.
“The CBI prayed for the death penalty. The defence lawyer
prayed that a jail term be given instead of the death penalty… this crime does
not fall under the rarest of the rare category,” the judge said.
The court also directed the state to pay compensation of
Rs 17 lakh to the family of the deceased doctor.
“Since the victim died while on duty in the hospital, her
place of work, it is the responsibility of the state to pay compensation to the
family of the doctor – Rs 10 lakh for the death and Rs 7 lakh for the rape,”
Das said.
The judge told Roy that he had the right to appeal
against this decision before the Calcutta High Court and that he would be
provided legal aid if needed.
The sentence was passed after the judge heard the final
statements of the convict, his defence counsel, the victim’s family, and the
CBI.
Earlier in the day, Roy claimed in court that he was
innocent and had been "wrongly held guilty".
"I am being framed and have not committed any crime.
I have not done anything, and still, I have been held guilty," Roy told
the court ahead of sentencing in the case.
During the proceedings, the CBI lawyer and the counsel
for the victim’s parents pleaded for the highest penalty for the convict,
calling the crime "rarest of the rare".
RG Kar: Parents
'dismayed' with judgment; to continue fight till justice is delivered
KOLKATA — The parents of the deceased medic
in the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case said that they were not satisfied with
the verdict of the court pronouncing life imprisonment till death for the
convict.
Claiming that the investigation was done half-heartedly
and several other culprits involved in the crime were shielded, they said they
would move to the higher court seeking justice.
"We are shocked. How is this not the rarest of rare
cases? An on-duty doctor was raped and murdered. We are dismayed. There was a larger
conspiracy behind this crime," the mother told PTI.
The judge said the crime did not fall under the
"rarest of the rare" category, which justified not imposing the death
penalty on the convict.
The father said they would continue their fight until all
the other culprits were brought to the book and punished.
A Kolkata court sentenced Sanjay Roy to imprisonment till
death on Monday after he was convicted of the rape and murder of the on-duty
doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August last
year.
The court also directed the state to pay compensation of
Rs 17 lakh to the family of the deceased doctor.
