On Friday, the CBI filed an appeal before the Calcutta High Court, requesting the death penalty for Sanjay Roy, the convict in the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case.
A division bench led by Justice Debangsu Basak announced it would hear the CBI’s appeal on January 27, alongside a request from the West Bengal government to admit its appeal, which includes a similar plea.
The CBI moved the bench, which also includes Justice Md Shabbar Rashidi, arguing that the sentence handed down by the trial court to Roy was inadequate and should be reviewed.
Deputy Solicitor General Rajdeep Majumdar, representing the CBI, argued that the central agency, which conducted the investigation, had the right to challenge the lower court’s decision on the grounds of an insufficient sentence.
On January 20, Sealdah court sentenced Roy to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, 2024.
The division bench had previously stated that it would hear from the CBI, the victim’s family, and the convict’s lawyers before deciding whether to admit the state’s appeal.
The CBI contested the state’s right to file an appeal, asserting that as the prosecuting agency, it should have the right to appeal based on the inadequacy of the sentence.
Advocate General Kishore Dutta, representing the state, had argued that a life sentence was insufficient and called for capital punishment for Roy.
