NEW DELHI: The Calcutta high court has admitted an appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the trial court’s decision to sentence Sanjay Roy, the convict in the RG Kar medical college and hospital rape-murder case, to life imprisonment without parole. However, the court refused to admit a separate appeal by the West Bengal government challenging the same verdict.
The decision comes after the high court had earlier reserved its order on whether to consider the appeals from both the CBI and the state government.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has declined to grant an urgent hearing for a fresh plea by the victim’s parents, who are seeking a reinvestigation of the case. The apex court has scheduled the matter for a hearing on March 17.
On January 20, a Kolkata court sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Roy and directed the West Bengal government to provide Rs 17 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family.
Roy, a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was convicted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das. The crime, which occurred on August 9 last year, triggered nationwide outrage and protests. Roy was arrested a day after the doctor’s body was discovered in a hospital seminar room.
The court convicted Roy under sections 64, 66, and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which stipulate penalties ranging from life imprisonment to the death sentence. The CBI, which led the prosecution, relied on forensic evidence, including DNA and toxicology reports, along with CCTV footage that linked Roy to the crime.
Despite Roy’s claims of being framed, forensic findings established his involvement through biological evidence, physical injuries sustained by the victim, and his personal belongings found at the crime scene. The CBI’s investigation, which examined testimony from over 120 witnesses, concluded that the victim died from strangulation and smothering.
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