Man gets life for rape and murder of Kolkata doctor

An Indian court yesterday sentenced a police volunteer to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor last year - a crime that sparked nationwide protests. Sanjay Roy, 33, plans to appeal the judgment in a higher court.

- NAMITA SINGH

Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Anirban Das, while announcing the sentence, said the crime did not fall under the “rarest of the rare” category, which justified not awarding the death penalty. Roy, however, maintained his innocence in the killing of the doctor.

“I have not done anything, neither rape nor murder. I am being falsely implicated. You have seen everything. I am innocent. I already told you that I was tortured. They made me sign whatever they wanted,” Roy told the court.

The judge responded: “I decide on the basis of the evidence before me. The charges have been proved.”

The victim’s family had sought the death penalty, but Roy’s lawyer argued against it, emphasising the possibility of rehabilitation. “The court has to show why the convict is not worth reformation or rehabilitation. The public prosecutor must present evidence justifying why the person should be completely eliminated from society.”