Kolkata:Judge Anirban Das of the Sealdah Court on Monday pronounced life term and jail till death for Sanjay Roy, the prime accused in the RG Kar Rape and Murder Case, instead of awarding the death penalty as demanded by the CBI and the victim's family observing that the case doesn't fall in the genre of "rarest of rare cases". The court also directed the state to pay a compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the family of the deceased doctor.
Roy, a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was held guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The body of the resident doctor was discovered in the seminar room of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 last year which sparked a series of protests across the nation and abroad, demanding capital punishment from the accused.
After hearing the versions of the RG Medic case prime accused Sanjay Roy's lawyer and the CBI, Sealdaha Court Judge Anirban Das pronounced judgement at 3.51 pm on Monday. Earlier, the hearing lasted from 12.36 pm to 1.12 pm.
During the 40-minute hearing, Roy, an erstwhile civic volunteer attached to the state police, who is the sole accused in the case, continued to claim innocence. He even claimed that he was beaten up and forced to sign a written statement.
On the other hand, the counsel of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed that since Roy’s offence was among the "rarest of rare crimes", and demanded that he should be accorded the highest punishment which is the “death penalty”.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, "We told about capital punishment within 44-60 days of the incident. We all wanted the accused to be sent to the gallows. It is really surprising why the court didn't award it. If the case was with the state government, we would have ensured the death sentence much earlier. We still don't know how the CBI progressed as the case was intentionally snatched from us. I would have been at peace if the accused was given capital punishment."
Das asked for the documents related to the apex court from Roy's lawyer in writing as he was running out of time. The accused's lawyer told Das that there is a statement by the Supreme Court on whether the rarest of rare crimes attracts capital punishment, to which the judge sought these documents. Meanwhile, claimed in court that he was innocent and had been framed in the case.
The court convicted him on Saturday of raping the trainee resident doctor and throttling her to death in August last year.
"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.
During the proceedings, the CBI lawyer pleaded for the highest penalty for the convict. "We pray for the highest penalty to maintain people's faith in society," the counsel told the court.
A sea of people gathered on the court premises to see the culmination of the 116-day trial. "This is one kind of mockery, we are not happy at all, because we all know that Sanjoy Roy is not the only culprit. So, we wanted to know who the real culprits are and what is the motive of this murder. We are not satisfied at all; from today, we have to start a new fight against this type of injustice," Dr Biplab Chandra, state secretary of the Medical Service Centre, said.
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh echoed the victim's parents' version of some insider's role in the diabolical incident. "There are many things to be suspicious about, promoting the Supreme Court taking it suo motu and ordering a CBI enquiry into it. Based on evidence, Sanjay Roy has been convicted but I am not sure whether there were other persons along with him. An incident of such magnanimity can't happen sans an insider's role. Since the first day the incident came to light, the state government has been trying to suppress the incident and shield the masterminds behind it. Now it remains to be seen what the court utters on Roy," Ghosh said.
Also Read:
- RG Kar Case: Victim’s Father Demands Maximum Punishment For Convict
- RG Kar Doctor's Rape-Murder: Suvendu Welcomes Court's Verdict; Seeks Probe Into 'Larger Conspiracy'
