“This heinous crime warrants capital punishment…”: Mamata Banerjee Govt to Move Calcutta High Court Challenging Trial Court Verdict in RG Kar Case

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Monday that the state government will approach the Calcutta High Court to seek the death penalty for Sanjay Roy, the sole accused in the rape and murder of a 31-year-old PGT doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Earlier in the day, the trial court sentenced Roy to life imprisonment, ruling that the case did not qualify as "rarest of rare" to warrant capital punishment.

“In the R.G. Kar junior doctor's rape and murder case, I am really shocked to see that the judgement of the Court today finds that it is not a Rarest of Rare case! I am convinced that it is indeed a rarest of rare case which demands capital punishment. How could the judgement come to the conclusion that it is not a rarest of rare case?! We want and insist upon death penalty in this most sinister and sensitive case,” said Mamata Banerjee, taking to the social media platform “X”.

Mamata Banerjee further stated that in the past 3-4 months, the Bengal government had ensured capital or maximum punishment for convicts in similar crimes, questioning why capital punishment was not awarded in this case. “I strongly feel that it is a heinous crime that warrants capital punishment. We will plead for capital punishment of the convict at the High Court now,” she added.

Following Sanjay Roy’s life imprisonment sentence, Mamata Banerjee expressed her disappointment with the verdict, stating that the case had been "taken away" from the Kolkata Police and handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). She argued that the death penalty should have been imposed instead. Banerjee further asserted that the outcome of the case might have been different had it been investigated by the Kolkata Police rather than the CBI.

"We demanded death penalty from the very beginning. We demand it now too. But it's the court's order. I can share my party's opinion. We ensured death penalty in three cases within 60 days,” said Mamata Banerjee. “The case was taken away from the Kolkata Police, and the CBI conducted the investigation. If the case stayed with us, we would have ensured death penalty long back. I don't know the details. A person who commits such a heinous crime should have faced the most severe punishment," the Bengal Chief Minister added.

On Monday, the trial court in Kolkata sentenced Sanjay Roy, the sole individual responsible for the horrific rape and murder of a 31-year-old on-duty PGT doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, to life imprisonment. "This is not a rarest of rare case of crime. Sanjay Roy will be given life imprisonment. For section 66 and 103(1), Sanjay will receive life imprisonment and a fine of fifty thousand rupees. Under section 64, Sanjay will be given life imprisonment till the last day of his life," announced Justice Anirban Das while delivering the verdict.

On Saturday, Judge Anirban Das had found Roy guilty under sections 64, 66, and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Roy had brutally raped and murdered the doctor on August 9 and was apprehended by the Kolkata Police on August 10. The shocking incident sparked nationwide outrage, with citizens demanding swift and severe justice for the victim.

In response to the crime, the West Bengal legislative assembly passed the Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws and Amendment) Bill 2024 in September. The bill proposes harsher penalties, including the death penalty, for crimes such as rape and sexual abuse. The bill is currently awaiting the president’s approval before it can become law.