Court Orders 17 Lakh Assistance To RG Kar Victim's Parents, They Say 'No'

The parents of the 34-year-old doctor raped and killed at RG Kar hospital in Kolkata last year said they do not want any financial assistance after a city court ordered a sum of Rs 17 lakh to be paid to the couple who lost their daughter in the chilling crime.

Sanjay Roy, a former civic police volunteer, was found guilty two days ago in the case that sparked nationwide outrage. He was sentenced to life imprisonment today with a local court observing that it was not the "rarest of rare" case - a doctrine that justifies the death penalty.

Judge Anirban Das, who presided over the trial and gave his judgment at the Sealdah court, also directed a compensation of Rs 17 lakh to be paid to the victim's parents.

Read: RG Kar Case Convict Gets Life Term, Judge Says Case "Not Rarest Of Rare"

The victim's parents, who attended the court session, told the judge they did not want compensation, but justice.

The judge replied he had already given the order, and they were free to use the money however they wanted. He asked them not to see it as compensation for the rape and murder, but as part of the legal provisions.

Earlier in the day, when the judge asked Roy for his view before pronouncing the order, Roy pleaded he was "framed" and pointed to the allegations of evidence tampering.

Judge Das, however, said the charges against him were proven during the trial and he had found him guilty based on the evidence produced before him.

The prosecution demanded the death penalty for the convict, arguing that it would restore the confidence of the society. But the court observed it did not fall under the "rarest of rare" category that attracts capital punishment.

The trainee doctor was found dead in the seminar room of the RG Kar hospital on August 9 last year. Initially probed by the city police, the case was handed over to the CBI amid concerns of evidence tampering.

Roy was arrested on August 10, and while he had admitted to the crime initially, he changed his stance later and claimed he was being made a scapegoat.