The Central Bureau of Investigation moved the Calcutta High Court on Friday challenging the Sealdah court’s order sentencing convict Sanjay Roy to life in the RG Kar trainee doctor rape and murder case. The High Court will hear the case on Monday.
A division bench, presided by Justice Debangsu Basak, will hear the CBI's appeal along with a similar appeal filed by the West Bengal government. Appearing for the CBI, Deputy Solicitor General Rajdeep Majumdar said the central agency, which investigated the case, has the right to challenge the lower court order before the High Court on the ground of inadequacy of sentence.
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The High Court said it would hear the CBI, the victim's family and the convict through their lawyers before deciding on the admission of the appeal filed by the Trinamool Congress government. The central agency also opposed the state government’s plea in the case saying it was the prosecuting agency’s right to prefer the appeal on the grounds of inadequacy of sentence, PTI reported. The state government has also argued that life sentence for the convict till death was inadequate.
The Sealdah court sentenced convict Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment in the RG Kar rape and murder case on January 20. The trainee doctor was found dead at the seminar hall of the hospital on August 9 last year and police arrested Roy, a civic volunteer, within 24 hours of the incident. The trial court in its order said the convict was not sentenced to the death penalty as it was not “rarest of rare” case.