'I am being framed', claims convict Sanjay Roy in court ahead of sentencing in RG Kar case

KOLKATA: Sanjay Roy, convicted of the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, on Monday claimed in a court here that he was innocent and had been "wrongly held guilty".

Roy was on Saturday held guilty of sexually assaulting the doctor and throttling her to death in August last year.

"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.

"I was beaten up in the prison and was forced to sign papers," he added.

Roy was convicted by Judge Anirban Das of the Additional District and Sessions Court, Sealdah under Sections 64, 66, and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Saturday.

During the proceedings, the CBI lawyer pleaded for the highest penalty for the convict, calling the crime "rarest of the rare".

"We pray for the highest penalty to maintain people's faith in society," the agency's counsel told the court.

The defence lawyer of Roy argued that the prosecution must provide evidence, which can prove that there is no possibility of reform of the convict.

The defence lawyer prayed for “an alternative punishment other than the death penalty” to allow his reformation.

The lawyer representing the parents of the deceased doctor prayed for the maximum punishment, arguing that Roy, being a civic volunteer, was entrusted with the security of the hospital, but had himself committed the heinous crime on the victim he was supposed to protect.

The hearing of the convict's self-defence and other stakeholders concluded at around 1 pm, and the Judge stated that the sentence would be pronounced at 2:45 pm.