Rape-murder of Kolkata doctor
Kolkata, Jan 19: A Kolkata court on Saturday found Sanjay Roy guilty of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a heinous crime that ignited nationwide outrage and led to prolonged protests.
The Sealdah court, where Roy’s trial was held, will announce his sentence on Monday, Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das said.
The verdict was delivered nearly two months after the in-camera trial began in November 2024, and 162 days after the brutal crime on August 9, 2024.
Roy, arrested a day after the crime, was found guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death),and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Section 103(1) carries a possible punishment of death or life imprisonment.
The judge stated that Roy was found guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and strangling her to death, and that the CBI had proven all the charges against him.
Das noted that Roy had entered the hospital around 4 am and attacked the on-duty doctor while she was asleep in the seminar room of the hospital.
“You sexually assaulted the doctor. You throttled her and covered her face and she ultimately died owing to the attack,” he said.
“On the basis of these allegations, charges were framed against you under Sections 64, 66 and 103(1) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). On the basis of the statements of the witnesses and the documents produced in this matter, your guilt has been proved and you are being pronounced guilty,” the judge said.
Das said Roy’s statement will be heard at 12:30 pm on Monday, and the sentence will be pronounced thereafter.
At the time of the delivery of the verdict, Roy claimed in court that he was framed.
In his defense, Roy said, “I wear rudrakash necklace, and if I had committed the crime, it would have snapped.”
Following the verdict, Roy was escorted under strict police security to the Presidency Correctional Home, preventing waiting media persons from speaking to him.
The parents of the deceased doctor expressed gratitude to the court for delivering justice, with her father stating, “The trust we had placed in you, you have honoured it completely.”
The mother of the medic, while acknowledging the verdict, voiced concerns that justice had not been fully served.
“That Sanjay is guilty was proven by medical evidence. He stood silent during the trials, proving his role in torturing and killing my daughter. But, he was not alone. Others who are yet to be arrested should also be brought to book,” she told PTI.
She added, “We will continue our fight for justice till our last breath.” (PTI)
