West Bengal Pursues Death Penalty for RG Kar Doctor's Murder

The West Bengal government has moved the Calcutta High Court to seek a death penalty for Sanjay Roy, convicted for the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed dissatisfaction with the Sealdah court's life sentence decision, urging for a harsher penalty.

The West Bengal government on Tuesday sought to escalate the sentencing in the RG Kar hospital doctor's rape and murder case by appealing for a death penalty in the Calcutta High Court. This appeal came swiftly after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her dissatisfaction with the Sealdah court's decision to sentence convict Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment.

Advocate General Kishor Datta presented the state's case in front of a division bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Md Shabbar Rashidi. The Higher Court's permission was granted on the same day, potentially enabling the judicial process to commence later this week, contingent on the completion of the appeal proceedings by Tuesday evening.

The Sealdah court had earlier ruled out the death penalty citing the crime did not fit the 'rarest of rare' category. However, Banerjee criticized this judgment, arguing in public statements and on social media that the crime necessitated harsher punishment, reaffirming her commitment to pursuing the death penalty.

(With inputs from agencies.)