Bengal Govt Approaches Calcutta High Court Challenging Life Sentence For RG Kar Convict, Calls For Death Penalty

The West Bengal government has approached the Calcutta High Court demanding the death penalty for the convict in the RG Kar rape and murder case, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sessions court. The court had held that the case did not fall within the "rarest of rare" category.Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on her 'X' handle criticised the verdict, and vowed to appeal against it before the High Court.Notably, 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.BackgroundThe incident, which occurred in August 2024, caused great furore across the country, with the High Court transferring the matter to the CBI, which filed its chargesheet before the sessions court. The matter even travelled up to the Supreme Court, which took it up suo moto to frame guidelines for workplace safety of doctors and to monitor the investigation.In the aftermath of the gruesome incident, there were protests across Kolkata, and the whole country, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice. The Calcutta High Court in a PIL, transferred the investigation to the CBI, who took over from the West Bengal CID which had arrested the main accused Sanjoy Roy in the rape-murder case.Various cases were filed before the Calcutta High Court, which also handed over the investigation into the alleged malfeasance and corruption by former principal Sandip Ghosh to the CBI.Cases were also filed against the Officer-in-charge of the jurisdictional police station who had registered the case as one of 'unnatural death' pointing to the fact that the victim may have committed suicide, in alleged connivance with the former principal.However, since the CBI was unable to file a chargesheet in a timely manner against the principal and OC, they were granted bail.Thus, the only remaining accused in the case against whom chargesheet had been filed by the CBI, was principal accused Sanjoy Roy.

Bengal Govt Approaches Calcutta High Court Challenging Life Sentence For RG Kar Convict, Calls For Death Penalty

Srinjoy Das

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