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With his status changing from an undertrial prisoner to a convict sentenced to life imprisonment, Sanjoy Roy was allowed to come out of his closed cell for a few hours for the first time on Tuesday
Sanjoy Roy has been lodged alone in Cell No 6 and is being kept under 24×7 surveillance.
Following his conviction and life sentence for the rape and murder of an RG Kar hospital doctor, convict Sanjoy Roy has been lodged at Kolkata’s Presidency Jail where he has made his first demand – a notebook and pen.
According to a report in News18 Hindi, jail authorities do not know what he wishes to write, but granting Sanjoy Roy this facility is within the scope of what the jail administration can grant him.
As per jail officials, prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment get more time to stay out of their cells during the day, while undertrial prisoners get less of this facility. But Sanjay Roy may get less time outside his cell in comparison to other inmates serving life terms considering the security risk.
With his status changing from an undertrial prisoner to a convict sentenced to life imprisonment, Roy was allowed to come out of his closed cell for a few hours for the first time on Tuesday. 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.
According to sources, Sanjay Roy was allowed to step out of his cell for a few hours, but was not allowed to leave the cell block. Roy has been kept under strict surveillance and all his movements are being monitored. As per sources, each time Roy speaks, he proclaims innocence. He also reportedly told officials that he had to drop out of school after the death of his father so he could help his younger sister complete her education.
The West Bengal government has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking death penalty for Roy, challenging the order of the trial court that sentenced him to life imprisonment till death.
The Sealdah court had sentenced Roy to life imprisonment until death after he was convicted of raping and murdering the on-duty doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, rejecting demands for the death penalty saying it was not a “rarest of the rare” crime.
Does Sanjoy Roy Have A Cellmate?
Sanjoy Roy has been lodged alone in Cell No 6 and is being kept under 24×7 surveillance. Since cases against Roy are going on in both the Supreme Court and the High Court, jail authorities are averse to taking any risk in securing him.
What Will Sanjoy Roy Do In Jail?
Life convicts are usually assigned daily work as per the jail code, but in Roy’s case, he will not be allowed to go out of the jail like other life convicts, considering the security risk. The jail authorities will assign him light work near his cell keeping in mind these security parameters.
Life convicts are also usually allowed to go out of their cell for specific hours of the day and are returned to their cell before sunset. Daily wages are paid for various jobs. Roy, since he came to jail, has been allotted Cell No 6 in the barrack called ‘Poila Bash’. This block has 22 cells.
The barrack has housed some of the jail’s high-profile inmates, including former ministers Partha Chatterjee and Jyotipriya Malik.