New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday (January 22) deferred to January 29 the hearing on the suo motu cognisance it had taken over the rape and murder of an on-duty woman doctor at state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata on August 9 last year.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan deferred the hearing on the suo motu, saying there was paucity of time. It also noted that three fresh applications were filed in the case.
“We will take it up at 2 pm on next Wednesday,” CJI Khanna said.
Suo motu case was listed for first time after Sealdah trial court verdict
This was for the first time after a Sealdah trial court verdict in the rape-murder case of the woman doctor that the matter was listed before the apex court.
What did apex court say during last hearing?
The apex court was informed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) during the last hearing into the matter on December 10 last year that a day-to-day — Monday to Thursday — trial was in progress at a special CBI court in Sealdah.
The apex court bench, which also took note of the latest status report filed by the CBI, had expressed confidence that the trial in the case was likely to conclude within in a month.
The apex court, which was monitoring the investigation of the case, had on August 20 last year had also constituted a National Task Force (NTD) to formulate a protocol to ensure medical professionals’ safety and security in the wake of the rape and murder of the on-duty woman doctor.
Sealdah trial court sentenced convict Roy to life imprisonment until death
A Sealdah trial court on Monday sentenced convict Sanjay Roy to life imprisonment until death.
The trial court rejected the submissions of the CBI seeking death penalty for Roy, saying the case did not meet the stringent criteria for being classified as “rarest of the rare” case.
Why trial court did not impose death sentence on Roy?
“Referring to the landmark Bachan Singh case, which established guidelines for imposing the death penalty, it is evident that this case does not meet the stringent criteria for being classified as “rarest of the rare,” the Sealdah trial court said and added, “The Supreme Court has consistently emphasized that the death penalty should be used only in exceptional circumstances where the collective conscience of the community is so shocked that it expects the holders of judicial power to inflict the death penalty.”
