The Supreme Court will hear a suo motu plea on Wednesday about the rape and murder of a trainee female doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital which happened last year. This comes after a Sealdah court sentenced Sanjay Roy to life in prison on January 20 for the crime, which caused outrage across the country. Many people in the state are now demanding that Roy should have received the death penalty instead.
A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan, will take up the case. The court will also review a petition from the victim’s parents, who allege problems in the investigation and are asking for a deeper inquiry.
No Death Penalty For Sanjay Roy
On January 20, a Sealdah court sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment without parole for raping and murdering an on-duty trainee female doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The court declined to impose the death penalty, ruling that the crime did not qualify as the “rarest of the rare” case.
The court also ordered Roy to pay a fine of Rs 50,000 and directed the state government to provide Rs 17 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family.
Mamata Banerjee expresses disappointment over RG Kar rape-murder verdict
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the Sealdah court’s decision to sentence Sanjay Roy, the sole convict in the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Hospital, to life imprisonment instead of the death penalty. The court ruled that the crime did not qualify as a “rarest of the rare” case.
Speaking at a public meeting in Malda, Banerjee reiterated her demand for capital punishment in the case. She questioned how society could remain humane if such barbaric acts went unpunished with the harshest penalty. Banerjee also highlighted the Aparajita Bill, introduced by her government, which includes provisions for the death penalty in such cases. She criticised the central government for delaying its approval and expressed hope that the Bill would serve as a model for the entire country.