Sanjay Roy, the defendant in the rape-murder case of a 34-year-old doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was sentenced to life in prison by a Kolkata court today. The judge also stated that the case did not fall under the “rarest of the rare” category for the death penalty. The West Bengal government was also ordered by Justice Anirban Das to provide the victim’s parents Rs 17 lakh. In the courtroom, the victim’s parents folded their hands and declared that justice, not money, was what they wanted. The judge retorted that he had mandated the compensation in accordance with the law and that they might spend the funds however they pleased. The judge clarified that the family should not see this amount as a compensation for their daughter’s rape and murder. Roy has been convicted under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to rape and murder.
Earlier today, the court heard Roy and final arguments on the sentence. Addressing the court, Roy said, “I haven’t done this. I have been framed. Lots of things were destroyed, but if I had done it then my rudraksha mala would have broken. You decide whether I have been framed or not.” The judge replied that he had to deliver justice. “I decide on the basis of the evidence before me. I have heard you as well for three hours. Your lawyer has argued your case. The charges has been proved. Now I want to know your views on the punishment,” he said.
Roy, a civic volunteer who visited the hospital frequently, had been targeted for the death penalty by the CBI, which took over the probe from Kolkata Police. According to the CBI’s and the victim’s parents’ attorneys, this is a “rarest of rare cases” and Roy has to be given the death penalty. Roy’s attorney had referenced Supreme Court rulings regarding the imposition of the death penalty. The judge then requested that the attorney provide a list of the guidelines so that he may review them.
Police in Sealdah went to great lengths to ensure that there was no adverse occurrence following sentencing, and the court grounds had been transformed into a fortress. Doctors and others gathered close to the court despite being denied access. The protesters alleged that Roy alone could not have committed the crime and that the others should not escape justice.
The parents of the victim have expressed dissatisfaction with the CBI’s inquiry. That “other perpetrators involved in the crime had not been brought to justice” is what they have claimed. “Only one individual is not connected to the crime, but the CBI has not been able to capture the others. According to her mother, “If we want to stop future crimes in society, such criminals have no right to live.” On the day of the event, the 34-year-old physician, a postgraduate trainee at the hospital, was working the night shift. She was discovered dead in a hospital seminar room the following morning. Doctors took days off work to demand workplace safety after the event, which spurred rallies across the country.
