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West Bengal Govt Moves Calcutta HC Seeking Death Penalty in RG Kar Doctor Murder Case

Advocate General Kishor Datta approached a Division Bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Mohammad Shabbar Rashidi, challenging the verdict delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge, Sealdah

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West Bengal Govt Moves Calcutta HC Seeking Death Penalty in RG Kar Doctor Murder Case

West Bengal Govt Moves Calcutta HC Seeking Death Penalty in RG Kar Doctor Murder Case

A day after a Kolkata sessions court sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College, the West Bengal government moved the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday (January 21, 2025), seeking the death penalty for the convict.

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Advocate General Kishor Datta approached a Division Bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Mohammad Shabbar Rashidi, challenging the verdict delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge, Sealdah, Anirban Das, on Monday (January 20, 2025). The move comes after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her disapproval of the sessions court’s decision, questioning the effectiveness of a life sentence.

“What is the meaning of a life sentence? In many cases, culprits are released on parole even after committing heinous crimes... I am truly shocked by the judgment in the RG Kar case,” Banerjee said. She insisted that the crime was among the “rarest of rare” and that leniency could lead to repeat offenses.

Judge Anirban Das, while ruling out capital punishment, emphasized the need to move beyond the “primitive instinct of a life for a life” and promote justice through wisdom and compassion. The court held that the case did not meet the stringent criteria for the “rarest of rare” classification.

Banerjee, however, countered this, arguing that society cannot show humanity to those who commit such crimes. She highlighted the Aparajita Women and Child (West Bengal Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2024, which advocates the death penalty in such cases but is still awaiting central approval.

Trinamool Congress leaders, including Banerjee, pointed out that courts in West Bengal had awarded capital punishment in at least three similar cases—Kultali (South 24 Parganas), Farakka (Murshidabad), and Gurap (Hooghly). Banerjee also questioned the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) handling of the case, stating, “Had it been under our purview, we would have ensured the death penalty long back.”

The victim’s parents have echoed the Chief Minister’s stance, expressing disappointment over the life sentence and insisting that the crime qualifies as a “rarest of rare” case. The post-graduate trainee doctor’s body was discovered in the seminar room of the State-run hospital on August 9, with the CBI charging Sanjay Roy, a former civic police volunteer, with rape and murder.

.Also Read: RG Kar Rape and Murder: Kolkata Court Sentences Sanjay Roy to Life Imprisonment

Kolkata Police Crime Rape case Calcutta High Court RG Kar Medical College and Hospital West Bengal govt