National: The Calcutta High Court on January 27 reserved its order regarding two separate appeals — one filed by the West Bengal government and the other by the CBI.
Both appeals challenge the trial court’s January 20 decision that sentenced Sanjay Roy, the sole convict in the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case, to life imprisonment till death.
The division bench, headed by Justice Debangsu Basak, heard arguments from both the state government and the CBI, who contended that the sentence imposed by the Sealdah sessions court was inadequate. Both parties have requested the imposition of the death penalty for Roy.
The CBI argued that it had the exclusive right to appeal to the high court on the grounds of an insufficient sentence, as it was the investigating and prosecuting agency in the case.
Meanwhile, the state government maintained that it, too, had the right to file an appeal claiming the sentence was inadequate.
The Advocate General for West Bengal, Kishore Dutta, opened the arguments for the state’s appeal before the division bench. Lawyers for the parents of the victim doctor and the convict also represented their respective clients, as per the court’s previous direction.
Sanjay Roy was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a doctor on duty at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024.
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