Sanjay Roy sentenced to life imprisonment in RG Kar rape and murder case

New Delhi: Kolkata court on Monday sentenced convict Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment till death, in a rape and murder case of an on-duty doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Additional district and sessions judge Anirban Das delivered the verdict.

Judge Das said the crime did not fall under the "rarest of the rare" category as justification for not giving death penalty to the convict.

The court also directed the state to pay a compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the family of the deceased doctor.

"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 ahead of sentencing in the case.

He was convicted by Judge Anirban Das of the Additional District and Sessions Court under Sections 64, 66, and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Saturday.

Roy was held guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and throttling her to death in August last year.

The case concerns the rape and murder of a 31-year-old resident doctor, who was found dead at the State-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9, 2024.

The doctor was found dead at a seminar hall of the college and an autopsy confirmed that she was raped and murdered.

The incident sparked nationwide outrage and protests with doctors in various parts of the country going on strike demanding stricter laws and policing to ensure the safety of medical professionals.

Roy,  civic volunteer with the city police, was arrested by the Kolkata Police on August 10, 2024 a day after the incident.

The investigation into the case was eventually transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the Calcutta High Court.

The trial court in West Bengal framed criminal charges for rape and murder against Roy.

The trial started on November 12, 2024, and concluded on January 9 with the CBI seeking the death penalty for Roy.

Meanwhile, the CBI also arrested former RG Kar principal Sandeep Ghosh and police officer Abhijeet Mondal accusing them of attempt to destroy evidence.

However, they were granted default bail since the CBI could not file the chargesheet against them within the stipulated 90-day deadline.

Dr. Ghosh continues to remain in jail since he has also been booked in a case concerning alleged financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court too initiated a suo motu case after the incident in which it proceeded to examine larger concerns of workplace safety for medical professionals, apart from concerns about the probe and trial in the RG Kar case.

The top court in that case ordered the establishment of a National Task Force (NTF) to examine the larger issues of safety and dignity of doctors and medical professionals and to address gender-based violence against such professionals at the workplace.

The NTF submitted a report to the Court in November 2024 and the same is currently under consideration by various States.