Kolkata rape-murder: Who is Kabita Sarkar, who will defend accused Sanjay Roy in court?
Sarkar, 52, is said to have taken up the case due to her belief in a fair trial and in the legitimacy of court judgments over popular sentiments
With lawyers refusing to defend Sanjay Roy, the accused in the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, a 52-year-old legal aid has been entrusted with the job by the Sealdah court.
Who is Kabita Sarkar?
Fighting Roy’s case is expected to be the most-challenging gig of Kabita Sarkar in her 25-year career, especially when her fraternity has taken a moral stand on the issue.
A law graduate from Hooghly Mohsin College, Kabita began her career with civil cases at Alipore court.
She graduated to practising criminal law as a SALSA lawyer in February 2023 and moved to the Sealdah Civil and Criminal Court in 2023.
Why did she take up Roy’s case?
According to a report by the Times of India, Kabita went against popular sentiment on the case and decided to fight for Roy as she believes every individual has a right to a fair trial.
She believes justice should be done through courts and not via pre-trial judgments.
Kabita has reportedly urged her senior, Sourav Banerjee, to accompany her to the trial.
Doesn’t believe in capital punishment
Kabita has told the newspaper that she is opposed to capital punishment and advocates life imprisonment as the maximum penalty.
She has said that she believes a person is “innocent until proven guilty” and that offenders should be allowed the chance to reflect on their crimes.
Roy sent to 14-day judicial custody
The Sealdah Civil and Criminal Court on Friday (August 23) sent Roy to 14-day judicial custody on the expiry of his custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the case.
Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, was arrested a day after the body of the postgraduate trainee doctor was found in the seminar hall of the state-run facility on August 9.
Court allows polygraph test on accused
A special court in Kolkata has also allowed the CBI to conduct a polygraph test on Roy.
With lawyers refusing to take up Roy’s case, the CBI faced a hard time to conduct a polygraph test on the accused which necessitates the presence of a counsel.
As a polygraph test needs the consent of the accused, a lawyer helps the former understand the implications of the test and provide legal advice to help him take an informed decision. The accused needs to agree to undergo the test and cannot be forced to do so.