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.

A sessions court in Kolkata will pronounce today the quantum of sentence for Sanjay Roy. Follow The Hindu’s live updates

A Kolkata court on Monday criticised the authorities at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital and the police for attempting to cover up the murder of a junior doctor as a suicide, Live Law reported.

Man sentenced to life for rape and murder of Kolkata doctor that sparked nationwide protests - Sanjay Roy, 33, plans to appeal the judgment in a higher court

An Indian court handed down a life sentence on Monday (Jan 20) to a police volunteer convicted of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at a hospital in the eastern city of Kolkata, rejecting demands for the death penalty saying it was not a rare crime.

Judge Anirban Das questioned why the FIR in the case was registered after 11:30 pm when the incident was reported on the morning of August 9 last year.

Sanjay Roy was sentenced to life imprisonment in the RG Kar rape and murder case. A lawyer, appearing on behalf of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has sought capital punishment for convict Sanjay Roy.

An Indian court has sentenced the man convicted of raping and murdering a female doctor at a Kolkata hospital to life in prison.

The BJP on Monday criticised the sentence of life imprisonment for the convict in the RG Kar rape-murder case by a Kolkata court as a "travesty of justice", and said justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done.