Within hours of the sessions court in Kolkata sentencing Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer, to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor, the West Bengal Government on Tuesday approached the Calcutta High Court to challenge the verdict. The State has demanded the death penalty instead for the sole culprit. Reacting to the Government’s decision, the victim’s father accused the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and others of tampering with the investigation, saying: “She can say many things, but she and the then Commissioner of Police tampered with evidence. Couldn’t she see this from the beginning?”
He said: “Let us get the order copy tomorrow. We will review it and decide our next steps. There is no need for the Chief Minister to act in haste. Whatever she has done so far, she should not do anything more.” The victim’s father also expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation, alleging that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to provide proper evidence in the case. On Tuesday morning, State Advocate Kishor Dutta moved the Division bench of Justice Debanshu Basak, and sought permission to file a petition challenging the verdict of the Sealdah Sessions court. The Calcutta High Court permitted the State to file its petition and the hearing of the case is expected to start tomorrow.
Yesterday, on her ‘X’ handle Mamata Banerjee had voiced her displeasure with the verdict and had promised to move the High Court. Today, speaking at a public meeting in Malda following an administrative meeting, Mamata Banerjee said: “How can the judge say that this is not a rarest of rare case? As far as I see it, it is a very rare, sensitive and very, very heinous crime,” she said, adding “our work is not to protect any wrongdoer.” “If someone is so demonic and barbaric, then how can society remain humane? If someone is given life imprisonment, then the person can get freed on parole. I was once a lawyer and fought several cases. The Sealdah court judge said that it was not the rarest of rare cases. If this is not the rarest of rare case, then what is it?” Mamata said.
Banerjee said that she had seen that in many cases, those sentenced to life term were set free on parole after “two-three years” and indicated that she did not want Sanjoy Roy to “escape his deeds”. She also said that her Government had passed the Aparajita Bill in the Assembly which had stringent punishment for those accused of heinous crimes against women like rape, murder and acid attacks. “I want it to be a model legislation for the entire country, but the Centre is not granting approval for the same,” she said.
The State BJP also criticised the Government’s over-eagerness. State BJP chief and Central Minister Sukanta Majumdar said: “The unseemly haste with which Mamata Banerjee and her Government is trying to ensure the death penalty for Sanjoy Roy is extremely suspicious. It seems that she is in a hurry to ensure that Sanjoy Roy is silenced for ever, since dead men tell no tales.” The CPIM, too, slammed the Chief Minister. “If she is so eager to ensure the death penalty for Sanjoy Roy, then why did she shield those who were part of the wrongdoing at RG Kar?” asked Sujan Chakraborty. He pointed out that the Sessions judge Anirban Das, in his verdict, had also raised objections on the lapses by the police while conducting the investigation as well as the attempts by the hospital authorities to cover up the issue.
On Monday, Sanjay Roy, convicted of raping and murdering the trainee doctor on duty at the State-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was sentenced to life imprisonment until death by the Sealdah court on Monday. In addition to the sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Roy. Justice Anirban Das of the Additional District and Sessions Court, Sealdah, also directed the State to compensate the victim’s family with Rs 17 lakh. On Monday, before the verdict was delivered, Sanjoy Roy had continued to deny his involvement, stating: “I have not done anything, neither rape nor murder. I am being falsely implicated. You have seen everything. I am innocent. I already told you that I was tortured. They made me sign whatever they wanted.”
