The Sealdah court has sentenced the main accused, Sanjay Roy, to life imprisonment. While a case has been filed challenging this decision, Tilottama’s family has informed the High Court that “they do not want Sanjay to be hanged for the time being.” Despite the verdict, many questions related to the case remain unanswered, prompting this appeal for a re-investigation.
Kolkata: Today (28th Jan): The RG Kar case, taken a new turn following the recent verdict. A group of lawyers and social activists has sent a letter to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Sanjiv Khanna, urging a fresh investigation into the case. This request comes after key observations made by the judge of the Sealdah court during the trial.
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The lower court’s verdict has brought up serious questions about the role of the Kolkata Police in the initial investigation. Although the case was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), there are allegations that the CBI merely followed the groundwork laid by the Kolkata Police without delving deeper into the matter.
RG-kar’s family has echoed these concerns, accusing the CBI of not conducting a thorough investigation. These points were highlighted in the letter sent to the Chief Justice.
On 18th January, Sealdah court has sentenced the main accused, Sanjay Roy, to life imprisonment. While a case has been filed challenging this decision, Tilottama’s family has informed the High Court that “they do not want Sanjay to be hanged for the time being.” Despite the verdict, many questions related to the case remain unanswered, prompting this appeal for a re-investigation.
Key Questions Raised
The letter raises several critical concerns about the handling of the case:
- Why was victim’s body cremated in a hurry?
- Why was the seminar room premises demolished shortly after the incident?
The lawyers and social activists allege that these actions were taken without proper justification.
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“No satisfactory answer has been found to all these questions,” the letter states.
The letter also points out that the CBI has not yet filed the promised supplementary charge sheet. “The CBI has spoken about filing a supplementary charge sheet, but it has not been filed yet,” it mentions.
Additionally, the letter accuses the CBI of remaining inactive despite indications of a larger conspiracy in the case.
“The CBI has remained inactive despite raising the possibility of a larger conspiracy,” the letter alleges.
Background
On August 9 last year, a 31-year-old junior doctor was raped and murdered at the state-run RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata. Her body was discovered in the hospital’s seminar room. The incident sparked nationwide outrage and led to prolonged protests by junior doctors in West Bengal, demanding justice and improved security at government hospitals.
The trial began on November 11, three months after the incident, in a Kolkata court. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the case from the Kolkata Police following a directive from the Calcutta High Court, has sought the “maximum punishment” for Roy. The trial concluded on January 9.
Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, was convicted on Saturday for the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The crime, which occurred on August 9, triggered nationwide outrage over women’s safety. The verdict, delivered by Anirban Das, Additional District and Sessions Judge of the Sealdah court, came 57 days after the in-camera trial commenced on November 12.
