Sanjoy Roy demands pen and notebook: How RG Kar rape case convict will spend his days in Kolkata jail

A Kolkata court this week sentenced Roy to life imprisonment

Sanjoy Roy, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata’s state-run RG Kar College and Hospital, will be made to undergo “hard labour” inside the Presidency central jail premises and get a daily wage of Rs 105, according to Indian Express.

According to a report in News18 Hindi, Roy has requested the jail authorities to give him a pen and notebook. Roy can walk and exercise inside his jail cell. He can also leave if he remains in the cell block.

“He will have to undergo hard labour now since he is… no longer an undertrial prisoner. Since he is unskilled and has no prior experience in semi-skilled or skilled labour, he will be given a job with a daily wage of Rs 105,” a senior jail department official told IE.

Roy has been in Presidency Jail since August 23, 2024. Since then, he had always been kept locked in his cell, except during court appearances, whether virtual or physical.

The convicts in Presidency central jail engage in hard labour such as gardening and making garments, furniture, puffed rice, and aluminium utensils.

Unskilled workers earn Rs 105, semi-skilled workers earn Rs 120, and skilled workers get Rs 135 as daily wages. The amount accumulates in a convict’s account in jail. This amount can be used to buy things from the jail, and if and when the convict is released, they take it with them. According to reports, Roy may be involved in gardening.

Jail officials told IE that after the sentencing, Roy asked for three more blankets than the jail’s usual five per occupant.

A Kolkata court this week sentenced Roy to life imprisonment and noted that the case was not in the “rarest of the rare” category for a death penalty.

After the sentencing, Roy asked for three more blankets than the jail’s usual five per occupant, according to IE.

The Bengal government expressed strong disappointment at the court’s verdict.

"When someone is a demon... Can society be human? Sometimes they get out after a few years. If someone commits a crime, should we forgive them? If someone commits a crime and gets away, he will do it again. Our job is not to protect them," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.