West Bengal Government Seeks Death Penalty for Sanjay Roy in Doctor’s Rape and Murder Case

Kolkata, 21st January 2025: The West Bengal government has approached the Calcutta High Court to request the death penalty for Sanjay Roy, who was convicted of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

On Monday, Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das sentenced Roy to life imprisonment, declining to impose the death penalty. The judge reasoned that the crime did not meet the criteria of being “rarest of rare,” which is necessary for capital punishment.

Today, the state government presented its case before a bench led by Justice Debangshu Basak, indicating its intention to appeal for the death penalty. Earlier, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her shock at the court’s ruling, stating on social media that she believed the case warranted capital punishment and questioned how it could be deemed not to fit the “rarest of rare” category.

Notably, the investigation and prosecution were handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) rather than the state police, following a transfer ordered by the Calcutta High Court.

The case involves the tragic rape and murder of a 31-year-old resident doctor, whose body was discovered in a seminar hall at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024. An autopsy confirmed that she had been both raped and murdered, leading to widespread outrage and protests across the country, with medical professionals demanding stricter laws and enhanced safety measures.

Roy, a civic volunteer with the city police, was apprehended by the Kolkata Police on August 10, 2024, just a day after the incident. The case was subsequently handed over to the CBI for further investigation.

The trial against Roy commenced on November 12, 2024, and concluded on January 9, with the CBI advocating for the death penalty. Following a 57-day in-camera trial, the court convicted Roy on January 18.

The judge highlighted that CCTV footage, the accused’s statements during questioning, inconsistent defence claims lacking evidence, and DNA test results all pointed to Roy’s guilt, ruling out the involvement of anyone else in the crime.

While the court criticized the Kolkata police and RG Kar Hospital for their mishandling of the case, it concluded that these shortcomings did not undermine the prosecution’s position. The court asserted that the failures of the police and hospital administration would not obstruct the trial’s progress.

Despite these findings, the court declined to impose the death penalty, stating that judicial decisions must transcend primitive notions of retribution and should be grounded in evidence rather than public opinion.