Sanjay Roy sentenced to imprisonment till death in R.G. Kar rape and murder case

Anirban Das, the additional district and sessions judge in Sealdah court, had on Saturday held Roy guilty of the crime committed against the postgraduate trainee doctor at the hospital on 9 August 2024, which sparked unprecedented and prolonged nationwide protests.

Judge Das said the crime did not fall under the "rarest of the rare" category, which justified not imposing the death penalty on the convict.

Roy, a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The judge stated that under Section 64, life imprisonment is being awarded, along with a fine of Rs 50,000. An additional five months of imprisonment will be imposed upon non-payment of the fine, he added.

Under Section 103(1), Roy has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a Rs 50,000 fine, and another five months in jail if the fine remains unpaid.

Additionally, under Section 66, he has been sentenced to life imprisonment till death, the judge said.

All the sentences will run concurrently, Judge Das said.

“The CBI prayed for the death penalty. The defence lawyer prayed that a jail term be given instead of the death penalty… this crime does not fall under the rarest of the rare category,” the judge said.