Calcutta: the expected RG Kar rape and murder trial is scheduled to begin in a Sealdah Sessions Court on Monday with the formulation of charges against the main defendants Sanjay Roy.
IWCwho is in charge of the investigation, had filed charges against Roy 28 days ago. The other two arrested in connection with the rape and murder of the doctor-in-training on August 9: former director of RG Kar Sandip Ghosh and former tala OC Abhijit Mandal, was implicated for deleting evidence and conspiracy. They have not yet been charged.
A Sealdah court had earlier ordered charges to be laid on November 4 and ordered a closed-door trial starting November 5 for four days a week.
Roy had been charged under sections of the BNS relating to rape and murder. If proven, the charges could result in the death penalty.
In the charge sheet filed on October 7, CBI alleged that Roy’s involvement was “clearly established” in the “commission of the offence”. He raised 11 points based on oral and documentary evidence, forensic reports and evidence against Roy. CCTV footage showed that Roy was present on the third floor during the intervening night of August 8 and 9. The call details records on his mobile phone also corroborated his presence in that flat. Roy’s lawyers have indicated they will contest the charges.
The evidence against Roy is substantial: the police, who had previously been in charge of the case, had recovered jeans and shoes belonging to Roy, which were stained with the victim’s blood. DNA samples found on the victim’s body also matched Roy’s. Additionally, it was established that Roy suffered injuries between midnight on August 8 and noon on August 9, the same time the crime occurred. A Bluetooth device found at the scene was also paired with Roy’s mobile phone.
While CBI did not give details of the allegations against Ghosh and Mandal, the agency alleged that “acts or omissions” on the part of Ghosh and Mandal attempted to “hush up the matter”. He also accused them of trying to destroy evidence. Citing their role in the “broader conspiracy” and the possible involvement of others, CBI alleged that they could have been involved in the crime or abetting it.