Kolkata: The Sealdah court in Kolkata will pronounce the verdict in the rape and murder case of a female doctor at RG Kar Medical College Hospital on Saturday, six months after the gruesome incident. Additional District Sessions Judge Anirban Das will pronounce the verdict at 2 pm in a case that saw nationwide protests.
Sanjay Roy, who was a civic volunteer with the city police, was charged with committing the crime on the postgraduate trainee at the state-run hospital in north Kolkata on August 9 last year. It is not yet clear whether the accused will produced in court due to security concerns. He is currently lodged in the Presidency Correctional Facility.
The Kolkata Police which was investigating the case initially arrested Roy on August 10, a day after the medic's body was recovered from the seminar room of the hospital. The Calcutta High Court later transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the agency has sought the death penalty for the accused.
The in-camera trial in the rape and murder of the doctor commenced on November 12 and 50 witnesses were examined. Hearing in the trial of Roy was concluded on January 9. The father of the deceased doctor, the CBI investigating officer, the Kolkata Police investigating officer, a forensic expert and a few classmates of the deceased have testified in the case.
Ahead of the Sealdah Court's verdict in the case on Saturday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh reiterated the party's demand for the death penalty for the accused. "We hope that the person arrested within 24 hours of the incident, whom the CBI also confirmed as guilty, is declared guilty by the court and handed the death penalty. From day one, our Chief Minister has demanded capital punishment for this heinous crime," Ghosh stated.
West Bengal LoP and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said that the society should get a message from the verdict. However, Adhikari claimed that this is not the work of one person and multiple "goons" are involved in this crime adding that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should look carefully into the matter.
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