The Calcutta High Court (HC) today, Friday, February 7, admitted the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) appeal seeking capital punishment for Sanjay Roy, the convict in the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder case, stated a report by PTI. However, the court rejected a similar plea filed by the West Bengal government, challenging the trial court’s decision to sentence Roy to life imprisonment till death.
A division bench comprising Justices Debangsu Basak and Md Sabbar Rashidi observed that since the CBI was both the investigative and prosecuting agency in the case, its appeal regarding the quantum of the sentence would be admitted for hearing.
The state government had argued that it, too, had the right to move an appeal on the grounds of inadequate sentencing by the trial court. However, the court did not admit the state’s petition.
The case pertains to the brutal rape and murder of an on-duty doctor inside the seminar room of Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 last year, an incident that triggered widespread outrage across the country. Roy was arrested by the Kolkata Police the following day. The investigation was later handed over to the CBI, which filed its charge sheet before the trial court on October 7. Charges against Roy were framed on November 4.
On January 20, the trial court convicted Roy and sentenced him to life imprisonment until the end of his natural life. Dissatisfied with the verdict, both the CBI and the state government moved the Calcutta High Court, demanding capital punishment for him.
Following hearings on the matter, the high court bench reserved its order on the admission of the appeals on January 27. The victim’s parents, as well as the convict’s family, were represented in court by their respective lawyers, as per the division bench’s earlier directive.
