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A Kolkata court sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment until death on Monday after he was convicted of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
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 heinous crime triggered nationwide outrage and prolonged protests in West Bengal.
The court also ordered Roy to pay a Rs 50,000 fine and directed the state government to pay compensation of Rs 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.
Roy, a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata police, was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
“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,” the judge said.
The judge stated that under Section 64, life imprisonment is being given, along with a fine of Rs 50,000. An additional five months of imprisonment will be imposed upon non-payment of the fine, he added.
Under Section 103(1), Roy has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a Rs 50,000 fine, and another five months in jail if the fine remains unpaid.
Additionally, under Section 66, he has been sentenced to life imprisonment till death, the judge said.
All the sentences will run concurrently, the judge said.
“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 – Rs 10 lakh for the death and Rs 7 lakh for the rape,” Das said.
The judge informed Roy that he had the right to appeal against the decision before the Calcutta high court and that he would be provided legal aid if needed.
The sentence was passed after the judge heard the final statements of the convict, his defence counsel, the victim's family, and the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Earlier in the day, Roy claimed in the court that he was innocent and had been "wrongly held guilty."
"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.
During the proceedings, the CBI lawyer and the counsel for the victim's parents pleaded for the highest penalty for the convict, calling the crime "rarest of the rare."
The parents of the deceased woman medic in the RG Kar rape-murder case said they were not at all satisfied with the verdict of the court pronouncing life-term imprisonment until death, as well as the financial assistance, and would move to a higher court seeking justice.
They claimed that the investigation was done half-heartedly and several other culprits involved in the crime were shielded.
"We are shocked. How can this not be the rarest of the rare case? 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.
Upon the announcement of the compensation, the father of the deceased doctor said they did not want any compensation.
The father added that they would continue their fight until all the other culprits were brought to book.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed dissatisfaction with the court's verdict and asserted that had the case been handled by the Kolkata Police, the death penalty would have been ensured.
"All of us have demanded the death sentence, but the court has given a life term until death…The case was forcibly taken from us. Had it been with the (Kolkata) police, we would have ensured that he was served a death sentence," she told reporters.
BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya, who is also his party's organisational co-incharge for West Bengal, called for appealing against the judgement and for probe agencies to investigate the role of the then Kolkata commissioner and the state's chief minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly destroying the evidence.
He said on X, "Life imprisonment and a 50,000-rupee fine for Sanjoy Roy, accused in the RG Kar rape and murder case, is a travesty of justice. The verdict must be appealed."
Senior BJP leader Agnimitra Paul also expressed dissatisfaction with the sentencing and demanded “capital punishment” and a supplementary charge sheet, as well as further investigation to find out other culprits involved in the crime.
The junior doctors, who were at the forefront of the protests following the crime, have called for further investigation into the larger conspiracy allegations raised by the victim's parents.
The crime sparked nationwide protests, particularly from junior doctors in Kolkata, who demanded justice for the victim and stronger security measures in state-run hospitals.
Initially investigated by Kolkata Police, Roy was arrested on August 10, a day after the medic's body was found in a seminar room of the hospital.
The Calcutta high court later transferred the case to the CBI, which had sought the death penalty for Roy.