Life Sentence for Kolkata Doctor’s Murderer

Sanjoy Roy, convicted of rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, was on Monday sentenced to life imprisonment till death.

The Sealdah court in Kolkata also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Roy.

The court even directed the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the bereaved family of the doctor. Of this, Rs 10 lakh was allotted for the murder and the remaining for the rape.

On Saturday, Roy was held guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and strangling her to death, in August last year.

Justice Anirban Das said that the convict has the right to appeal in a higher court, and that legal aid will also be provided.

During the hearing, the CBI lawyer pleaded for the highest penalty for the convict stating that this was a “rarest of rare” case.

Sanjoy Roy maintained that he was innocent and that he was tortured while being shifted from police custody to the CBI.

“I have not done anything, neither rape nor murder. I am being falsely implicated. They made me sign whatever they wanted,” he said.

However, Judge Anirban Das, relying on the forensic evidence presented by the CBI, found Roy guilty. Roy’s DNA was found on the victim’s body, solidifying the case against him.

According to reports, the investigation will continue even after the verdict. Roy’s defence lawyers have expressed respect for the judgment but it is expected they would appeal the decision.

Roy’s parents expressed their faith in the court’s decision post the conviction hearing, with the victim’s father calling for the maximum punishment.

Even his mother, Malati Roy, acknowledged the gravity of her son’s crime. She did not attend the court hearings or visit Roy in the lockup, as she believed her son committed the crime.