Indian state contests life sentence of murder, rape convict, seeks death, source says

KOLKATA — India's West Bengal state launched an appeal on Tuesday (Jan 21) to overturn a life sentence in favour of the death penalty for a police volunteer convicted of the rape and murder of a junior doctor, a senior lawyer aware of the development said.

The brutal killing sparked national outrage over the lack of safety for women and protests around the country by medics to demand justice and better security at public hospitals.

The state government run by the regional Trinamool Congress party filed the appeal at the Calcutta High Court, the lawyer said, declining to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The woman's body was found in August in a classroom at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, where she worked.

In convicting Sanjay Roy, Judge Anirban Das turned down a plea by prosecutors for the death penalty, saying he did not consider it a rare crime that might warrant capital punishment. He sentenced Roy on Monday to life in jail on counts of rape and murder.

Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, of which Kolkata is the capital, said late on Monday that she was "shocked" by the judgement.

"I am convinced that it is indeed a rarest of rare case which demands capital punishment. How could the judgement come to the conclusion that it is not a rarest of rare case?!" Banerjee said in a post on the social media platform X.

Addressing a public rally about 350km from Kolkata on Tuesday, Banerjee said her government was seeking the highest punishment in the case.

Roy has denied the charges and said he was framed. His lawyer said the defence would appeal against the conviction.

The parents of the junior doctor have said they are not satisfied with the investigation and suspected more people were involved in the crime.

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