RG Kar verdict: Mamata unhappy with 'life imprisonment' for convict, says 'death penalty was sought'

As a special court in Kolkata on Monday sentenced Sanjay Roy, convicted in the case of ghastly rape and murder of a junior women doctor of the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital within the hospital premises in August last year to life imprisonment, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her displeasure and dissatisfaction over the quantum of sentence.

"We demanded 'death penalty' for the convict. I don’t know how… had the case been in our hands (state police or Kolkata Police), the death sentence would have been pronounced much earlier,” the Chief Minister told mediapersons just after the sentence was pronounced by the special court.

However, when specifically asked whether the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had failed to carry out the investigation properly, thus leading to just “life imprisonment” and not the “death penalty", the Chief Minister refused to make any direct comment.

“I do not want to say anything on these lines. All I can say is that recently in the three cases of similar rape and murder which were handled by the state police, the 'death penalty' was pronounced within a much shorter period," the Chief Minister said.

BJP’s IT Cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal Amit Malviya issued a statement that the verdict by the special court must be appealed and the Chief Minister should stop shielding the criminals.

"Agencies also need to investigate the role of the then Kolkata Commissioner and the Chief Minister in the destruction of evidence. Justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done," Malviya’s statement read.

Senior advocate of Calcutta High Court and CPI-M Rajya Sabha member, Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, however, said that in his opinion, life imprisonment for Roy is quite a strong punishment.

“Personally, I feel that in a civilised country, ‘death penalty' should not prevail,” he said.

While pronouncing the quantum of sentence on Monday afternoon, the judge of the special court Anirban Das, also made it clear that the CBI's contention that Roy's offence in the matter was “the rarest and rare crimes” was not tenable.