The Sealdah court on Monday gave life imprisonment till death to Sanjay Roy, the convict in the rape and murder case of doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The court said the case did not fall under the ‘rarest of the rare’ category.
The court also ordered Roy to pay Rs 50,000 as fine and directed the state of West Bengal to pay Rs 17 lakh as compensation — Rs 10 lakh for death and Rs 7 lakh for rape on duty — to the victim’s family.
During Monday’s hearing, the CBI strongly advocated for the death penalty, citing Supreme Court guidelines on capital punishment. Emphasizing the gravity of the crime, the CBI stated “Creating such an offence is a rarest of rare crimes.”
“Two sections give death. This case comes under arrest of rare punishment be given so that it sets precedence and brings confidence in society,” the CBI argued.
Meanwhile,Sanjay Roy maintained on Monday that he is innocent.”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.
The defence lawyer of Roy argued that the prosecution must provide evidence that can prove that there is no possibility of reform of the convict. The defence counsel prayed for “an alternative punishment other than the death penalty” to allow his reformation.
The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das had on Saturday declared Roy guilty of rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee at the hospital on August 9 last year, nearly six months after his arrest. The judge hinted at the possibility of a life sentence or the death penalty due to the severity of the crime.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her government has cooperated with the investigation in the RG Kar rape and murder case and they always wanted the victim to get justice.
Banerjee said this moment before Sealdah Civil and Criminal Court began hearing in the RG Kar rape and murder case. “We have cooperated with the investigation…we had demanded justice but the judiciary had to run its course so that’s why it took this much time but we always wanted the victim to get justice,” CM Mamata Banerjee said.