Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted the West Bengal government permission to appeal against the Sealdah court’s verdict that sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment until death for the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The state seeks to overturn the sentence and pursue the death penalty for Roy.
Background
On Monday, the Sealdah court convicted Roy and sentenced him to life imprisonment, ruling that the crime did not meet the “rarest of the rare” criteria for capital punishment. Along with the sentence, Roy was fined ₹50,000, and the state government was ordered to pay ₹17 lakh in compensation to the victim’s family.
Government’s Move
Advocate General Kishor Datta filed the appeal with a division bench led by Justice Debangsu Basak, urging for the death penalty. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee voiced her disappointment over the Sealdah court’s ruling, stating that had Kolkata Police handled the investigation, the death penalty would have been ensured.
Banerjee announced on her X handle (formerly Twitter) that the state government would challenge the Sealdah court’s verdict in the High Court, asserting that the crime deserved the harshest punishment.
Significance
The High Court’s decision to allow the appeal opens the possibility of revisiting the sentence, potentially escalating legal debates about the application of the death penalty in gender-based violence cases.
