Kolkata: Sanjay Roy, the only accused in the RG Kar doctor's rape and murder case, was sentenced to life for his involvement in the crime in a verdict that brought curtains down on the case, which triggered a long agitation by junior doctors and civil society members, who demanded an exemplary and capital punishments for the accused earlier.
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, "It's not right to comment on the matter before the arrival of the verdict. However, we all took out rallies demanding the gallows for the convict and we also want justice in this case."
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. He was convicted under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Saturday.
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.
Ahead of the pronouncing of the sentence, a sea of people gathered on the court premises to see the culmination of the 116-day trial.
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.
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