The Kolkata RG Kar Hospital case concluded on Monday when a city court sentenced Sanjay Roy, the accused, to life imprisonment till death for the brutal rape and murder of a doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The crime occurred on August 9, 2024, and involved the postgraduate trainee doctor at the hospital, whose tragic death sparked widespread protests led by the medical community across the nation.

While the court found Roy guilty under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including rape (Section 64), murder (Section 103(1)), and punishment for causing death (Section 66), it did not impose the death penalty. Judge Anirban Das clarified that the crime did not meet the criteria of the "rarest of the rare" cases, which is the legal justification for imposing the death sentence. However, the family of the deceased doctor, as well as doctors nationwide, have expressed their strong demand for capital punishment, considering the horrific nature of the crime.

The doctors' protests following the murder were unprecedented in their scale and duration, with medical professionals across India rallying for justice. They argue that such brutal acts must be met with the harshest penalties, including the death sentence, to act as a deterrent to future crimes. The victim's parents also voiced their demand for the death penalty, emphasizing the severity of the attack on their daughter.

The case has reignited the debate on capital punishment in India, especially in cases of rape and murder. While India has a law that allows for the death penalty in the rarest of the rare cases, there has been significant criticism of its use on humanitarian grounds. This case, however, has once again raised questions about whether it is an appropriate response in crimes that involve extreme brutality.

Some of the most notorious cases in India's judicial history have resulted in the death penalty for the rarest of the rare crimes, where the brutality of the crime shocked the nation. For example, the Delhi Nirbhaya case of 2012, where a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was gang-raped and tortured on a moving bus in Delhi, triggered nationwide protests and led to death sentences for the perpetrators. Similarly, the Kolkata rape and murder case of 1990 saw the conviction and execution of Dhananjoy Chatterjee, who raped and murdered a 14-year-old schoolgirl.

Other cases, such as the 1996-98 Umesh Reddy serial killings and the Ripper Chandran case from Kerala, where multiple women were raped and murdered, led to death penalties. These cases stand as grim reminders of the extreme nature of certain crimes that have shaped the discourse on capital punishment in India.

In the Odisha rape and murder case, Laxman Naik was hanged for the rape and murder of a minor girl in a forest. The 1994 execution of Naik was one of the significant cases where the death penalty was imposed for such a heinous crime.

In the RG Kar Hospital case, the accused, Sanjay Roy, who was a former civic volunteer with the Kolkata Police, has now been sentenced to life imprisonment. However, it remains to be seen whether this verdict will be appealed in higher courts by either party. The judicial proceedings are expected to continue, and the nation watches closely as it unfolds.

This case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of strong legal action in cases involving violence against women and the need for a robust judicial response. The demand for capital punishment in India’s rape and murder cases remains a point of significant debate, and the RG Kar Hospital case could serve as a turning point in this ongoing discussion.

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