In a significant development in the case of the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old female postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the Sealdah court has sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment. The convict, who was a former civic volunteer attached to the state police, had been convicted for the crime that occurred over six months ago.
Justice Anirban Das stated that the crime did not fall under the “rarest of the rare” category, which would warrant a death penalty. However, the judge directed the West Bengal government to provide a compensation of Rs17 lakh to the victim’s parents.
On January 18, Roy was convicted in connection with the rape and murder of the woman doctor. The final statements from the convict and the prosecutor were completed by 1:10 PM on Monday, and the judge delivered the sentence by 2:45 PM.
During the hearing, Roy maintained his innocence, claiming that he had been beaten and coerced into signing a statement. In contrast, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the investigation from Kolkata Police, argued that Roy’s actions were “among the rarest of rare crimes” and called for the death penalty.
The tragic incident occurred on August 9, 2024, when the victim’s body was found in the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College. The Kolkata Police initially investigated the case, and Roy was arrested shortly after. Following an order from the Calcutta High Court, the CBI took over the investigation, and Roy was subsequently handed over to central agency officials.
The trial began on November 11, 2024, 59 days after the discovery of the victim’s body.