A trial court is set to deliver its verdict on January 18 in the RG Kar rape-murder case, more than five months after a 31-year-old junior doctor was brutally assaulted and killed at the state-run medical college and hospital, as stated in a report by Times of India. The crime triggered widespread protests in Kolkata, resonating far beyond India’s borders.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), investigating the case, demanded the death penalty for Sanjay Roy, the primary accused, during its closing arguments at the Sealdah Sessions Court on Thursday, January 9.
Citing biological evidence, CCTV footage, and the testimonies of 50 witnesses, the agency claimed that Roy was the sole perpetrator of the “monstrous crime.” Lawyers for the CBI argued the case fell into the "rarest of rare" category, warranting capital punishment.
Roy has been charged under Sections 103(1), 64, and 66 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), dealing with murder, rape, and causing death or a vegetative state. If convicted, Roy could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Defence lawyer Sourav Bandyopadhyay, representing Roy, argued his client was innocent and had been framed with the use of planted evidence.
The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front (WBJDF), however, criticised the CBI’s investigation, insisting Roy did not act alone.
Asfaqulla Naiya of RG Kar Hospital stated, “We have repeatedly said that more than one person was involved. Who are the others? All forensic reports indicate that committing the crime alone was impossible.”
Junior doctors and healthcare workers marched from College Square to Shyambazar on Thursday, January 9, and staged a sit-in protest, demanding a deeper investigation and a supplementary charge sheet. “Justice cannot be served if one is punished while others roam free,” said Dr Debasish Haldar of Medical College Kolkata.
Protests are expected to escalate based on the court’s verdict. “If true justice is not served, the movement will continue,” said Biplab Chandra of the Medical Service Center.
