Kolkata, 7 February (H.S.) : The Calcutta High Court has dismissed the West Bengal government’s plea seeking the death sentence for Sanjay Roy, convicted in the rape and murder of a female doctor at RG Kar Medical College. The court ruled that only the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s appeal in the case is valid, as the probe was handled by the central agency.
A Sealdah court had earlier found Sanjay Roy guilty but did not award him the death penalty, stating that the case did not fall under the ‘rarest of rare’ category. Instead, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The state government had challenged this verdict in the High Court, but the bench rejected its plea.
The CBI also sought the death penalty for Sanjay but simultaneously questioned the state’s legal standing in filing such an appeal. The agency’s counsel argued that since neither the victim’s family, the investigating agency, nor the convict himself had approached the High Court, the state’s petition was legally untenable.
The High Court accepted this argument and ruled that only the CBI’s appeal would be considered, while the state’s petition was dismissed.
The victim’s family has opposed the demand for Sanjay’s execution, arguing that more people may have been involved in the crime. They fear that awarding him the death sentence would eliminate crucial evidence. The family has also approached the Supreme Court, expressing dissatisfaction with the CBI’s investigation and demanding a more thorough probe.
Hindusthan Samachar
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