Sanjay Roy, a former civil volunteer, was on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment until death for raping and murdering a trainee doctor inside Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital last year. The sentence triggered a wave of disappointment as many were expecting the death sentence for Roy for the crime that caused national outrage. A lawyer explained the Sealdah judge’s reasoning behind the decision to spare his life.
Advocate Rehman told news agency ANI that the additional judge of the sessions court reasoned that the crime can’t be placed in the “rarest of the rare” category.
“Additional Judge of Sessions court, Sealdah has sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment till death to Sanjay Roy. The court directed the state government to give compensation of ₹17 lakhs to the victim’s family. CBI had demanded capital punishment for the convict in the case. The judge said that this is not a rarest of the rare cases, hence capital punishment has not been awarded,” he said.
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 court today ordered Roy to pay a ₹50,000 fine and directed the state government to pay compensation of ₹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 impose the death penalty on the convict.
The judge denied the CBI’s plea for the death penalty, reported PTI.
“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,” he said.
The judge further said that under Section 66, Sanjay Roy will remain in prison till his death.
“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 – ₹10 lakh for the death and ₹7 lakh for the rape,” Das said.
Earlier today, Roy claimed he was being framed.
“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.
Victim’s parents shocked
The parents of the deceased said they were not satisfied with the verdict.
“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.