The police had sought the death penalty in a horrific but familiar crime. Its handling by the local authorities had outraged the nation.

India's West Bengal state launched an appeal on Tuesday to overturn a life sentence in favour of the death penalty for a police volunteer convicted of the rape and murder of a junior doctor, a senior lawyer aware of the development said.

Police sought death penalty, arguing it was a 'rarest-of-rare' crime Convict said he was innocent, was framed and sought clemency Judge said he did not consider it an extremely rare crime Ruling BJP official criticises sentence as a 'travesty of justice' Junior doctors protest outside court seeking harsher sentence KOLKATA,