Fri Feb 07 19:52:28 UTC 2025: ## Kolkata High Court Rejects West Bengal’s Appeal for Death Penalty in R.G. Kar Rape-Murder Case
**Kolkata, February 8, 2025** – The Calcutta High Court today rejected the West Bengal government’s appeal to increase the life sentence of Sanjay Roy, the sole convict in the August 2024 rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. The court, however, accepted a similar appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which investigated the case.
The High Court ruled that since the CBI, a central agency, conducted the investigation, the central government is the appropriate authority to appeal the sentence. This decision overruled the state government’s argument, citing provisions within the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
The Sealdah Additional District and Sessions Court had sentenced Roy to life imprisonment on January 20th, citing that the crime did not qualify as a “rarest of rare” case warranting the death penalty. The court’s decision followed protests across West Bengal demanding capital punishment for Roy, a former civic police volunteer.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed dissatisfaction with the initial life sentence and vowed to pursue the death penalty. The swift handling of several other rape and murder cases, some resulting in death sentences within six to eight weeks, had fueled public pressure for a similar outcome in the R.G. Kar case. The High Court’s order noted that the appeal must be resolved within six months. The CBI’s appeal now moves forward within this timeframe.
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