Sanjay Roy, the Kolkata Police civic volunteer convicted of rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, maintained on Monday that he is innocent.
Roy was on Saturday held guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and throttling her to death in August last year.
He was convicted by Judge Anirban Das of the Additional District and Sessions Court under Sections 64, 66, and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Saturday.
"I am being framed, and have not committed any crime. I have not done anything and still, I have been held guilty," Roy told the court ahead of sentencing in the case.
He said he was beaten up in custody and made to sign documents against his will.
The CBI counsel said the attack on a doctor who was serving others qualified as a rarest of rare case and hence deserved the death penalty.
The court must give the death penalty to the convict so that the people’s faith in the judiciary is maintained, the counsel said.
Found guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and throttling her to death, Roy was convicted by the judge under Sections 64, 66 and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Section 64 (rape) of the BNS entails a punishment of not less than 10 years and can go up to life term.
Section 66 (punishment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative state of victim) provides for punishment of not less than 20 years that may extend to imprisonment for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person's natural life, or with death.
Section 103(1) (murder) of BNS provides for the death penalty or imprisonment for life to a person convicted of the crime.
Flanked by multiple police vehicles, Roy was brought out of jail around 10.15am. He was brought to the Sealdah court premises in Kolkata at 10.40am.
The Sealdah court was fortified with nearly 500 policemen deployed and the authorities left no stone unturned to prevent any untoward incident, an officer said.
Despite the heavy police deployment, many people thronged the court premises and some were seen attempting to climb railings to catch a glimpse of the convict.
On their way to the court, the parents of the deceased doctor said they trusted the judiciary to deliver justice.
“We have faith in the judge,” said the victim’s father. “We want Sanjay Roy to be given the death penalty and also want that others involved in the crime are brought to book”
The deceased doctor's mother expressed disappointment with the CBI investigation, alleging that "other perpetrators involved in the crime had not been brought to justice".
“Only one person is not involved in the crime, yet the CBI has failed to apprehend the others. Such criminals have no right to live if we are to prevent future crimes in society,” the bereaved mother said.
Kolkata Police denied permission to junior doctors' bodies to hold a demonstration in the Sealdah court area.
Sanjay Roy's mother did not respond to the media, but his sister said: "All evidence is against him. If he receives severe punishment, even the death penalty, what can we do?"
CPM leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya claimed, "We didn't find the CBI conducting the investigation properly."
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar alleged: "We all know that the evidence was destroyed before the CBI took over the investigation. In such a situation, gathering evidence becomes very difficult."
