Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday (January 22) opposed before the Calcutta High Court an appeal filed by the West Bengal government seeking death sentence for convict Sanjay Roy in the rape and murder case of on-duty doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 last year.
High Court on Tuesday allowed West Bengal government to file appeal
The High Court on Tuesday allowed the state government to file an appeal challenging the Sealdah trial court order sentencing convict Roy to life imprisonment until death after the State mentioned the matter before the High Court.
The central agency opposed the right of the West Bengal government to file an appeal in the case, claiming that it had the right to appeal against the trial court order on the grounds of inadequacy of the sentence as it was the prosecuting agency.
What did the High Court say?
A bench comprising Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Md Shabbar Rashidi, after hearing submissions, said that it would hear the CBI, the family of the deceased woman doctor as well as convict Roy before deciding on the admission of the appeal against the trial court order filed by the West Bengal government.
What did West Bengal submit?
State’s Advocate General Kishore Dutta, while submitting that the life sentence awarded to the convict till the end of his natural life was inadequate and praying for admission of the appeal filed by the state government submitted before the court that the case was initially investigated by the Kolkata Police before it was transferred to the CBI on the orders of the High Court and that besides the prosecuting agency, the family of the victim and the convict, the quantum of punishment can also be challenged by the state.
What did CBI submit?
Deputy Solicitor General Rajdeep Majumdar, appearing for the CBI, said that the central agency had prayed from the trial court for awarding death sentence to convict and opposed the submissions made by the West Bengal government, submitting that the state government does not have the right to appeal against the trial court order on the ground of inadequacy, news agency PTI reported.
