Kolkata | A Kolkata court on Saturday convicted prime accused Sanjay Roy of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, 162 days after the crime that sparked nationwide outrage and led to prolonged protests.
The Sealdah court, where Roy's trial was held, will announce the quantum of punishment on Monday, Additional District and Sessions Judge Anirban Das said.
Roy, a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata police was arrested on August 10, 2024, a day after the 31-year-old medic’s body was found in the seminar room of the hospital.He was charged 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 said 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 observed 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 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.
The judge said the more than 160-page judgement, which will be completed after the pronouncement of the sentence on Monday, will also categorically answer some questions raised by the complainant, the father of the victim.
"I have criticised some activities of police authority as well as the hospital authority which came out in the evidence," the judge said.
He noted that the case of the prosecution stood on circumstantial evidence. 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 verdict delivery, Roy claimed in court that he had been framed.
In his defense, Roy said,"I wear a 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 victim, while hailing 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 said:"We will continue our fight for justice till our last breath."
Investigators alleged that he acted alone, but the victim’s family and junior doctors’ groups suspected a wider conspiracy.
Reacting to the verdict, Roy’s elder sister told reporters from her home in Bhawanipore that the family would not challenge the court’s decision.
"If he has committed any crime, he should get proper punishment. We don’t plan to challenge the order," she said, adding that family members did not attend the trial.
The junior doctors, who were at the forefront of the protests following the crime, have called for further investigation into the larger conspiracy allegations raised by the victim’s parents.
"There are a lot of unanswered questions. Allegations that the crime scene was tampered with and that influential people were involved must be fully investigated. This is just partial justice. The fight isn’t over," said a junior medic.
The crime sent shockwaves across the nation, triggering protests over workplace safety for medical professionals.
The verdict also evoked mixed political reactions.
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the judgement but called for further investigation into the conspiracy allegations by the victim’s family.
"We would have been happier if former RG Kar hospital principal Sandip Ghosh and former Kolkata police commissioner Vineet Goyal were also punished today. We must investigate whether anyone else was involved in the crime," he said.
Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sougata Roy also welcomed the ruling, and demanded the "harshest punishment" for Roy to set a strong precedent.
The ghastly incident sparked nationwide protests, particularly from junior doctors in Kolkata, who demanded justice for the victim and stronger security measures in state-run hospitals.
Initially investigated by the Kolkata police, the Calcutta High Court later transferred the case to the CBI, which had sought the death penalty for Roy.
The in-camera trial, which began on November 12, saw 50 witnesses testify. The trial concluded on January 9.
Civil society groups in Kolkata and other cities held demonstrations and midnight rallies under the ‘Reclaim the Night’ campaign, calling for justice for the victim, who was affectionately christened ‘Abhaya’ and ‘Tilottama’ by some people.
Ahead of the pronouncement of the verdict, security at the Sealdah court complex was tightened significantly, with the Kolkata police erecting multiple barricades to control access and ensure the safety of all attendees.
The crime also became a political flashpoint, with opposition parties, including the BJP and CPI(M), criticising the Mamata Banerjee-led government over the state’s law and order situation.
Kolkata | Doctors from various hospitals in Kolkata staged a protest rally here on Saturday expressing dissatisfaction with the conviction of prime accused Sanjay Roy in the RG Kar rape-murder case and demanded that the CBI bring to justice all those allegedly involved in the crime.
Junior and senior doctors from city-based state-run hospitals, including RG Kar hospital, who took out a rally from outside the Sealdah court, said their protest would continue until the truth behind the crime was fully revealed.
"While Sanjay has been convicted, what about the other culprits? How could he have committed this crime alone? The CBI’s probe was based on circumstantial evidence, but where is the place of occurrence? We still have unanswered questions," junior doctor Aniket Mahato said.
The agitating doctors also questioned why the central probe agency did not file any supplementary chargesheet.
"Where is the supplementary chargesheet? The CBI had said that they would file one quickly," another agitating doctor Asfakullah Naiya asked.
The doctors raised 20 key questions about the case, which they claimed remain 'unanswered,' and pointed out that the crime scene had been tampered with.
"There is clear evidence of this. Also, what explains the presence of multiple semen samples on the victim’s body? We will not rest until those responsible for tampering with evidence are punished," they said.
The doctors distributed leaflets, listing the 20 questions, to the public and urged them to support the protests.
Senior doctor Pabitra Goswami said they would continue to protest till all the culprits were booked.
"We are not at all satisfied with this conviction. This is actually to help others who were equally involved in the crime. We will continue to hit the streets till justice is delivered and the bigger conspiracy is exposed," Goswami said.
Kolkata | A Kolkata court's conviction of Sanjay Roy for the rape-murder of an on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital evoked strong and diverse political reactions across party lines in West Bengal.
The Sealdah court on Saturday convicted prime accused Roy, a civic volunteer, of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor of the state-run hospital, 162 days after the crime that sparked nationwide outrage and led to prolonged protests.
Additional district and sessions judge Anirban Das said the court will announce the quantum of punishment on Monday.
While the BJP welcomed the verdict, it called for further investigation into allegations of a larger conspiracy surrounding the crime.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) demanded death penalty for Roy, emphasising the need for a strong deterrent against such crimes.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and the CPI(M), criticised the handling of the case, alleging evidence tampering and protection of influential individuals.
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari described the verdict as a step toward justice but urged authorities to investigate the conspiracy allegations raised by the victim's family and junior doctors at the hospital.
"We welcome the judgment. But we would have been happier if the former principal of RG Kar Hospital, Sandip Ghosh, and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal were also punished today. It must be seen whether anyone else was also involved in the crime or not," Adhikari said.
BJP state president and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar echoed similar concerns.
"The court has convicted him (Roy), but the people of West Bengal believe that more than one person are involved in the incident. Evidence was tampered with during the five days when the Kolkata Police investigated the case," Majumdar said, calling for strict punishment and emphasising the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
The trial court found Roy guilty under Sections 64 (rape), 66 (punishment for causing death), and 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Section 103(1) provides for a possible punishment of death or life imprisonment.
The TMC welcomed the conviction but strongly advocated for the harshest punishment to be meted out to Roy.
Senior party MP Sougata Roy called for the death penalty, asserting that such a step would serve as a deterrent.
"This will not only serve as a warning to others who think they can get away with lawlessness but also restore people's faith in the system," he said.
Party state general secretary Kunal Ghosh criticised the opposition for politicising the incident.
"We condemned the crime from the very beginning. The CM herself demanded the death penalty for the culprit. Despite baseless allegations, Kolkata Police arrested the perpetrator within 24 hours," Ghosh said, adding that similar cases in the state had resulted in capital punishment for the accused.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury expressed dissatisfaction with the conviction, alleging evidence tampering and the shielding of influential figures.
"I am unable to find any reason to be satisfied with this conviction. Big names were protected by the state government and police. Even if the accused is given capital punishment, justice will remain elusive," Chowdhury said.
The CPI (M) also criticised the investigation by the CBI and the initial probe by Kolkata Police.
CPI (M) state secretary Mohammed Salim commented, "Verdict is given; justice is not. People have fought for justice and will continue to fight for justice."
The case, which involved the brutal rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor on August 9, 2024, triggered nationwide outrage and protests.
Kolkata Police's initial investigation drew criticism for alleged lapses, leading the Calcutta High Court to transfer the case to the CBI.
The in-camera trial, which commenced on November 12, recorded the testimonies of 50 witnesses and concluded on January 9.
The judge observed that the CBI had successfully proven all charges against Roy, who maintained his innocence throughout and claimed he had been framed.
His statement will be recorded before sentencing on Monday.
