Legal Experts Weigh In on Victim's Battle for Justice in RG Kar Hospital Case

The family of an RG Kar hospital rape-murder victim challenges a court verdict sentencing the convict to life imprisonment, seeking harsher punishment through higher courts. Legal experts debate the family's ability to appeal under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita's legal provisions.

In a significant development, legal experts have stated that victims' families, like that of the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case, are not entirely powerless in seeking a harsher sentence from appellate courts. The trial court had sentenced Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment until death, causing dissatisfaction among the victim's family.

The bereaved parents claim the investigation was incomplete, with other culprits allegedly shielded, and declare their intent to pursue justice. The case, involving the serious crime of raping and murdering an on-duty doctor, was deemed not to fit the 'rarest of rare' category by the Kolkata trial court, which declined to impose the death penalty on Roy.

While the state retains the primary power to challenge sentences, legal provisions allow victims certain rights in specific conditions. The family plans to represent their plea for appeal to the state, reigniting discussions around the legal rights of victims in heinous criminal cases.

(With inputs from agencies.)