An Indian court awarded a life sentence on Monday to a police volunteer convicted of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the hospital where she worked in the eastern city of Kolkata, rejecting demands for the death penalty and saying it was not a rare crime.

The decision to challenge the trial court’s sentence of life imprisonment came hours after the central agency opposed a similar plea by the state government.

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

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.

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

An Indian court found a police volunteer guilty for the rape and murder of a trainee doctor, a crime that sparked countrywide protests.

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

More individuals should have been questioned in the case while working conditions in India’s hospitals remain abysmal, analysts say.