Kolkata doctor rape-murder case: Court to pronounce judgement on January 18

Kolkata: The Sealdah court is set to deliver its judgement on Saturday in the brutal rape and murder case of a female postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata which occurred in August last year. The incident sparked nationwide outrage and triggered prolonged protests.

Sanjay Roy, who was a civic volunteer with the city police, was charged with committing the crime on the postgraduate trainee at the state-run hospital in north Kolkata on August 9 last year.

According to the PTI report, the judgement will be delivered on Saturday, 57 days after the trial commenced before the court of additional district and sessions judge, Sealdah court, Anirban Das.

Also Read:RG Kar Case: Victim's parents to move SC over Grey Areas in CBI Probe

The Kolkata Police which was investigating the case initially arrested Roy on August 10, a day after the medic’s body was recovered from the seminar room of the hospital.

The Calcutta High Court later transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the agency has sought the death penalty for the accused.

The in-camera trial in the rape and murder of the doctor commenced on November 12 and 50 witnesses were examined, PTI reports.

Medical Dialogues recently reported that the trial of the on-duty postgraduate trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, who was raped and murdered in August last year, concluded on Thursday. The judge at Sealdah court is expected to deliver the verdict on January 18.

Hearing in the trial of Roy was concluded on January 9.

Maintaining that other persons were also involved in the crime, the parents of the victim have said that they expect that they will also be arrested and tried before the court.

They have also filed an application before the court seeking further investigation into the case.

The crime led to nationwide outrage and prolonged protests by junior doctors in Kolkata, demanding justice for the victim and stronger security arrangements in state-run hospitals.

Opposition political parties, including the BJP and the CPI(M), protested the gruesome crime, but apolitical movements demanding justice for the victim were more visible with members of the civil society being at the forefront.

Members of the civil society in Kolkata and some other cities of the state took out midnight rallies terming those as “Reclaim the night” to demand justice for the victim doctor, whom some named “Abhaya”, while others called her “Tilottama”.

Disclosing the identity of a rape victim is prohibited by the law.

Supporters of archrival clubs of Kolkata – East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting – also took to the streets of the metropolis demanding justice for the victim.

The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter and formed a National Task Force (NTF) to suggest a protocol for the safety of doctors and other medical professionals across the country.

The NTF filed a report before the apex court in November last year. 

Also Read:RG Kar Rape-Murder Case: Verdict likely on January 18