R G Kar rape-murder case | CBI moves Calcutta High Court seeking death penalty for convict Sanjay Roy; HC to take up matter on January 27

The CBI on Friday urged the Calcutta High Court to schedule an early hearing on its appeal seeking death penalty for R G Kar Hospital rape-murder case convict Sanjay Roy.

The investigating agency moved the court after the trial court rejected its demand earlier for death penalty to Roy, who was found guilty of the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at R G Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024.

A division bench presided by Justice Debangsu Basak, before which the matter was mentioned by deputy solicitor general (DSG) Rajdeep Majumdar seeking an early hearing of the CBI's plea, said it will hear the appeal on January 27 along with a prayer by the West Bengal government over admission of its appeal with a similar plea.

Majumdar said the central agency, which investigated the case, has the right to challenge the lower court order before the high court on the ground of inadequacy of sentence.

The Sealdah court had on January 20 sentenced Roy to life imprisonment till the end of his natural life.

The division bench, also comprising Justice Md. Shabbar Rashidi, had on January 22 said it would hear the CBI, the victim's family and the convict through their lawyers before deciding on the admission of the appeal filed by the state government.

The CBI had opposed the state's right to file an appeal in the case, claiming that it was the prosecuting agency, and had the right to prefer the appeal on the grounds of inadequacy of sentence.

Seeking capital punishment for Roy, the state's Advocate General Kishore Dutta had stated before the court that the life sentence to the convict till death was inadequate.

Praying for admission of appeal by the court, he had claimed that apart from the prosecuting agency, the victim's family and the convict, the state can also challenge the quantum of punishment awarded on the ground of inadequacy.

Dutta stated before the division bench that the Kolkata Police initially investigated the rape-murder case before the Calcutta High Court ordered transfer of the probe to the CBI on August 13, 2024.

The CBI's plea seeking death penalty for Roy was turned down by the trial court, where Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das said the crime did not fall under the "rarest of rare" category.