RG Kar verdict
Kolkata, Jan 18: A Kolkata court on Saturday pronounced accused Sanjay Roy “guilty” of rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The Sealdah court, where Roy’s trial was held, will declare his sentence on Monday, Anirban Das, the additional district and sessions judge, said.
The judgement was pronounced nearly two months after the in-camera trial commenced in November last year and 162 days after the heinous crime was committed on August 9, 2024.
Roy was found guilty under Sections 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita that governs rape, and Sections 66 and 103 (1) of the Act, which deals with punishments for death and murder.
Section 103 (1) of BNS entails a maximum punishment of death or life imprisonment.
At the time of the verdict, Roy claimed in court that he was framed. The judge, however, said he would have an opportunity to speak on Monday before the sentence is pronounced.
The medic’s parents thanked the judge for the guilty verdict and said the court honoured the trust they had reposed in it.
TMC seeks ‘death
penalty’ for convict
The ruling TMC in West Bengal on Saturday welcomed the conviction of Sanjay Roy in the rape and murder of the doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, calling for the “death penalty” to set a strong precedent.
A trial court in Sealdah found Roy, a civic volunteer, guilty of raping and murdering the on-duty doctor at the state-run hospital on August 9. The court is set to pronounce the sentence on Monday.
Senior TMC MP Sougata Roy told PTI, “The ruling must be followed by the harshest punishment possible for Roy.” “This will not only serve as a warning to others who think they can get away with lawlessness but also restore people’s faith in the system. We need to ensure that such actions are met with the strongest deterrent,” he said.
Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh condemned the vilification of the investigation, which he claimed was done to serve vested political interests.
“We have said repeatedly that the RG Kar incident is horrific and condemnable. The CM herself condemned it in the strongest words and demanded the death penalty for the culprit. Kolkata Police arrested the perpetrator within 24 hours,” he asserted.
“We denounced the incident from the very beginning. However, a section of people tried to spread misinformation and mislead the public to fulfil their political and personal interests. In three similar cases after RG Kar, the state police acted swiftly, and the perpetrators were given capital punishment. We want the death penalty for this convict as well.” Roy was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Won’t rest until all are punished: Mother
Welcoming the conviction of prime accused Sanjay Roy by a trial court here in the RG Kar Medical College rape-murder case, the mother of the deceased woman doctor on Saturday said they were still waiting for the other criminals to be arrested and punished.
“That Sanjay is guilty was proved through biological evidence. And that he stood silent during the trials in the court also proved his hand in torturing and killing my daughter. But he was not alone, there are others who haven’t been arrested yet. So, justice hasn’t been delivered,” the victim’s mother told PTI soon after the court convicted Roy.
She said she and her husband would continue their fight for justice till the last day of their lives.
Meanwhile, doctors from various hospitals in Kolkata staged a protest rally here on Saturday expressing dissatisfaction with the conviction of prime accused Sanjay Roy in the RG Kar rape-murder case and demanded that the CBI bring to justice all those allegedly involved in the crime.
Junior and senior doctors from city-based state-run hospitals, including RG Kar hospital, who took out a rally from outside the Sealdah court, said their protest would continue until the truth behind the crime was fully revealed.
The agitating doctors also questioned why the central probe agency did not file any supplementary chargesheet.
“Where is the supplementary chargesheet? The CBI had said that they would file one quickly,” another agitating doctor Asfakullah Naiya asked. The doctors raised 20 key questions about the case, which they claimed remain ‘unanswered,’ and pointed out that the crime scene had been tampered with.
“There is clear evidence of this. Also, what explains the presence of multiple semen samples on the victim’s body? We will not rest until those responsible for tampering with evidence are punished,” they said. (PTI)