NEW DELHI: First accused Sanjay Roy on Monday maintained his innocence in the rape and murder case of a doctor at RG Kar state medical college and hospital.
Roy said he was being framed and had not committed any crime while a court was sitting to decide the quantum of sentence for the convict.
“I have not done this. I have been framed. Many things were destroyed, but if I had done this then my rudraksha mala would have been broken. It is up to you to decide whether I have been framed or not,” Roy said.
Before sentencing, Roy’s attorney opposed the death penalty, saying the prosecutor has to show why Roy “does not deserve reform and should be completely removed from society.”
“The prosecutor has to present evidence and explain why the person does not deserve to be reformed and should be completely eliminated from society,” he added.
During the trial, the CBI lawyer pleaded for the highest sentence for the convict.
“We pray for the highest penalty to maintain people’s faith in society,” the agency’s lawyer told the court.
This comes as a Kolkata court is set to pronounce the quantum of punishment for the civic volunteer after district and additional sessions judge Anirban Das found him guilty on Saturday.
The rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate medical student, whose body was found in a hospital seminar room on August 9, sparked nationwide protests demanding justice for the victim and a safer environment for those doctors.
Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, was arrested the next day in connection with the crime. Roy was convicted under section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for rape, along with sections 66 and 103(1) for causing death and committing murder. In particular, Article 103(1) of the BNS prescribes a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The incident sparked outrage across the country, prompting the high court to hand over the probe to the CBI, which subsequently submitted its chargesheet to the sessions court.
The case also reached the Supreme Court, which took suo motu cognizance to establish guidelines for the occupational safety of doctors and monitor the progress of the investigation.