'Not Rarest Of The Rare': RG Kar Rape-Murder Convict Sanjay Roy Escapes Death Penalty, Gets Life Imprisonment Till Death By Sealdah Court

Kolkata: The Additional District and Sessions Court in Kolkata's Sealdah on Monday sentenced convict Sanjay Roy in the RG Kar rape and murder case to life imprisonment till death. The court observed that it was not "the rarest of the rare" case. The court also directed the state to pay compensation of Rs 17 lakh to RG Kar doctor's family in rape and murder case. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000.

Meanwhile, the victim doctor's parents said they "do not want compensation", they "want justice". Earlier in the day, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had pushed for death sentence for Roy. However, in the court Roy opposed death penalty. "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 convict said as reported by PTI.

Visuals Outside The Court:

The court found Roy guilty of raping and then murdering a post-graduate trainee (PGT) doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9. The judgment was pronounced on Saturday, January 18.

Roy was arrested the day after the heinous crime was committed. He was convicted under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During the hearing, Roy made some shocking claims that an IPS officer was also involved in the crime. "I have been falsely implicated. I have not done this. Those who have done so are being let go. One IPS involved," Roy said as reported by ANI.

The judgment was delivered almost five months after a post-graduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered by Roy, who was a civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, at the state-run hospital in the northern part of the city. The body of the PGT doctor was recovered from the seminar room of the hospital. The Calcutta High Court later transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The trial in case was commenced on November 12. The hearing in Roy's trial was concluded on January 9, during which 50 witnesses were examined, reported PTI.

A day before the announcement of the quantum of punishment, Roy's 70-year-old mother expressed no love for Roy and told reporters on Sunday (January 19) that her son deserves to get any punishment for his crime, even if it meant hanging till death.

"If the court decides to hang him to death, I don't have any objection as his crime has been proved in the eye of the law, I will cry alone but accept it as a quirk of fate, something willed by destiny," said Malati Roy, Sanjay's mother, as quoted by PTI.

The case had sparked widespread outrage and even took political turn with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanding resignation from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Published on: Monday, January 20, 2025, 02:53 PM IST