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Supreme Court To Hear R G Kar Doctor’s Rape-Murder Case On January 29

The CJI-led bench also instructed senior advocate Karuna Nundy, representing medical professionals' associations, to ensure that interlocutory applications filed in the case are provided to the opposing side.

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The Supreme Court scheduled a hearing for January 29 to address the suo moto cognizance it took of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August 2024. The bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan, postponed the hearing due to time constraints. "We will take it up at 2 pm next Wednesday," the bench stated.

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The CJI-led bench also instructed senior advocate Karuna Nundy, representing medical professionals' associations, to ensure that interlocutory applications filed in the case are provided to the opposing side.

In parallel, the West Bengal government has approached the Calcutta High Court, challenging the verdict of a special court in Kolkata that sentenced Sanjay Roy, the sole accused in the case, to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of the woman doctor.

During the hearing on Wednesday morning, a division bench of Justices Debangshu Basak and Shabbar Rashidi heard the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenge the West Bengal government’s petition, questioning the grounds on which it sought to appeal the sentence. Deputy Solicitor General Rajdeep Majumdar argued that only the CBI, as the investigating agency, or the victim's parents, who are parties in the case, have the right to file such an appeal, not the state government. He cited a case involving former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, where the Patna High Court rejected a similar petition by the state government.

The Calcutta High Court will decide on January 27 whether the West Bengal government’s petition is admissible.

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that the state government would challenge the quantum of the sentence in the Calcutta High Court, seeking the death penalty for Roy. "I am convinced that it is indeed a rarest of rare cases which demands capital punishment. We want to insist upon the death penalty in this most sinister and sensitive case," the Chief Minister said.

When delivering the sentence, Special Court Judge Anirban Das noted that the CBI's argument that Roy’s crime was one of the "rarest of rare" was not valid. Consequently, the judge ruled that Roy, a former civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, should be sentenced to "life imprisonment" instead of the death penalty.

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

Supreme Court RG Kar Medical College and Hospital