Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has petitioned the Calcutta High Court, seeking the death penalty for Sanjay Roy, convicted of rape and murder in the RG Kar Medical College case. The lower court had sentenced Roy to life imprisonment, a decision the CBI finds insufficient given the gravity of the crime.
The CBI argued in court that the West Bengal government’s plea for the death penalty is not maintainable, asserting that only the union government or the agency itself has the legal standing to challenge the sentence.
Discontent Over The Verdict
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee voiced her disappointment with the life imprisonment ruling, stating, “When someone commits such heinous acts, leniency cannot be justified. Allowing such individuals to go free after a few years only encourages further crimes.”
Justice Anirban Das, however, upheld the lower court’s verdict, emphasizing the importance of reformative justice. He noted that the evidence provided by the CBI did not meet the threshold for the “rarest of rare” cases, which warrant a death sentence.
Supreme Court Intervention
The Supreme Court is set to resume hearings on the case after taking suo moto cognisance. A bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna will review the matter, following earlier remarks in November 2024 when it declined to transfer the trial outside West Bengal.
