RG Kar Rape & Murder Case: Convict Sanjay Roy gets life term till death

Kolkata: A Kolkata court on Monday sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment until death after he was convicted of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, rejecting demands for the death penalty saying it was not a "rarest of the rare" crime.

Additional District and Sessions Judge in Sealdah, Anirban Das, had on Saturday found Roy guilty of committing the crime against the postgraduate trainee doctor on August 9 last year.

The heinous crime triggered nationwide outrage and prolonged protests in West Bengal. The court also ordered Roy to pay a Rs 50,000 fine and directed the state government to pay compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the family of the deceased doctor.

Judge Das stated that the crime did not fall under the "rarest of the rare" category, which justified the decision to not give the death penalty to the convict. "The CBI prayed for the death penalty. The defence lawyer prayed that a jail term be given instead of the death penalty…This crime does not fall under the rarest of the rare category," the judge said. "I am sentencing you to life imprisonment, meaning till the last day of your life, for causing injury during the act of committing rape on the victim that led to her death...," he told Roy. Roy, a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The judge stated that under Section 64, life imprisonment is being given, along with a fine of Rs 50,000. An additional five months of imprisonment will be imposed upon non-payment of the fine, he added. Additionally, under Section 66, he has been sen tenced to life imprisonment till death, the judge said.

All the sentences will run concurrently, the judge said.

“Since the victim died while on duty in the hospital, her place of work, it is the responsibility of the state to pay compensation to the family of the doctor – Rs 10 lakh for the death and Rs 7 lakh for the rape,” Das said.

The judge informed Roy that he had the right to appeal against the decision before the Calcutta High Court and that he would be provided legal aid if needed.

The sentence was passed after the judge heard the final statements of the convict, his defence counsel, the victim’s family, and the CBI. During his final statement, Roy claimed in the court that he was innocent and had been “wrongly held guilty.” “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 in the case.

His counsel prayed for an “alternative punishment” other than death for Roy to allow his “reformation”. During the proceedings, the CBI lawyer and the counsel for the victim’s parents pleaded for the highest penalty for the convict, calling the crime “rarest of the rare.” The victim’s parents said they were not at all satisfied with the verdict of the court pronouncing life-term imprisonment until death as well as the financial assistance and would move to a higher court seeking justice.

They claimed that the investigation was done “half-heartedly and several other culprits involved in the crime were shielded”. “We are shocked. How can this not be the rarest of the rare cases? An on-duty doctor was raped and murdered while being on duty. We are dismayed. There was a larger conspiracy behind this crime,” the mother said.

The father of the deceased doctor said they did not want any compensation, adding that they would continue their fight until all the other culprits were brought to book. Roy’s mother kept herself confined to her home and refused to meet reporters to comment on the verdict. “I don’t wish to say anything. I am ashamed of everything. You please go away,” she said before bolting the main door from inside.