RG Kar doctor rape & murder case: Sanjay Roy gets life term, victim's family to get Rs 17 lakh compensation

synopsis

Sanjay Roy, found guilty of raping and killing a trainee doctor in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, was awarded life imprisonment by a Kolkata court on Monday. The court noted that the case was not in the 'rarest of the rare' category for a death penalty.

Justice Anirban Das also directed the West Bengal government to pay a compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the victim's parents. The victim's parents, who were in the courtroom, said they do not want compensation, but justice. The judge replied that he has ordered the compensation as per law and they are free to use the money however they want.

Additional district and sessions judge Anirban Das of the Sealdah court on Saturday declared Sanjay Roy guilty of rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the Kolkata hospital on August 9 last year. He was found guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and strangling her under Sections 64, 66 and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

During the pronouncement of the quantum of punishment, Judge Anirban Das asked convict Sanjay Roy if he had anything to say on the punishment. In response, Sanjay Roy defended himself once again, saying, “I have been framed without any reason. I told you before that I always wear a Rudraksha chain. If I had committed the crime, it would have broken at the crime scene. I was not allowed to speak. They forced me to sign many papers. I was not given a chance to speak. You have seen all of this, sir. I told you before as well.”

The CBI lawyer called it a 'rarest of the rare case' demanding death penalty for the convict. “This is a rarest-of-the-rare case. The victim was a meritorious student and an asset to society. This incident has shaken the entire community. The parents have lost their daughter. If even doctors are not safe, then what can be said? Only the death penalty can restore confidence in society. We must restore society's faith in the justice system,” the CBI lawyer said.

RG Kar doctor rape & murder: A timeline of events in case that shook the nation

August 9, 2024: The body of the 31-year-old junior doctor was found in the seminar hall on the fourth floor of the hospital. Her body had 16 external and nine internal injuries. The postmortem would later confirm death by manual strangulation following sexual assault. The accused, a 28-year-old traffic police volunteer named Sanjay Roy, was arrested the next day, August 10, 2024.

August 12, 2024: Just two days after the body was discovered, the West Bengal government transferred the hospital’s Superintendent. But this administrative shuffle was far from enough to quell the growing outcry. The hospital’s principal, Sandip Ghosh, stepped down on August 12, following nationwide protests led by the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), which brought elective medical services to a grinding halt.

The judgement will be delivered by Anirban Das, the additional district and sessions judge of the Sealdah court. This comes 57 days after the in-camera trial commenced on November 12.

August 13: The victim’s parents, along with others, filed a petition before the Calcutta High Court. They demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), citing distrust in the Kolkata Police. The High Court agreed, handing over the case to the CBI.

August 14: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) intervened, noting visible signs of struggle on the victim’s body. The Kolkata Police formally handed Sanjay Roy over to the CBI.

August 15: The nation celebrated its Independence Day, another form of protest emerged: ‘Reclaim the Night’ rallies, organized by women and activists, demanding justice and protection for women. At RG Kar Medical College, however, the protests turned violent. A mob vandalized the hospital and crime scene. Tensions flared further when the National Commission for Women (NCW) accused the authorities of security lapses and raised alarms that the crime site had undergone premature renovations.

August 17: The IMA announced a 24-hour nationwide strike in solidarity with the victim.

August 20: The Supreme Court itself weighed in, constituting a 10-member task force to address the safety of healthcare professionals. By the end of the month, the protests had spiralled into larger political movements. The Nabanna Abhijan march to the West Bengal secretariat turned into clashes between police and protestors, leading to a state-wide strike, called by the BJP on August 28.

September: The agency arrested Ghosh, accusing him of tampering with evidence. The officer-in-charge of the local Tala police station, Abhijit Mondal, was also detained for delaying the filing of the FIR.

November: The court formally charged Sanjay Roy only in November. Roy faced charges under India’s Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including rape and murder. 

December: The court granted bail to both Sandip Ghosh and Abhijit Mondal after the CBI failed to file its chargesheets within the statutory 90-day period.