Badaun sisters: Court reserves order on CBI's closure report

BADAUN: A local court today reserved its order for tomorrow on the closure report filed by CBI in the death of two teenage cousins in Katra village of the district in May last year.

CBI has in its report seeking closure of the case said that girl were not raped or murdered, as earlier alleged by the local police, and committed suicide.

CBI was to submit evidences along with the case diary to corroborate its closure report in the court today.

Additional District Judge ( POSCO Act) Anil Kumar reserved his judgement for tomorrow after hearing both the sides.

Defence counsel Kokab Hasan Naqvi said in the court that it seems that CBI did not have any evidence in the case after three hearings and it was trying to save itself.

CBI counsel Rajat Kumar said that the court's order will be followed and the agency had all the evidences in the case on whose basis closure report was filed.

The agency had earlier filed a closure report in the court on December 12 last year.

The agency said in the report that it found no forensic or circumstantial evidence suggesting rape and murder as alleged in the FIR registered by Uttar Pradesh Police.

It said that the sisters had committed suicide fearing retribution as the elder girl's affair with a local boy from a different caste had come to light.

The bodies of the two cousins, both around 14 years, were found hanging in an orchard on May 28 last year.

The girls' families have alleged that they were kidnapped and murdered by five youths from the village. The incident sparked an outcry in the country and abroad with questions being raised over the law and order situation in UP.

The agency had closed the investigation after dropping charges against five persons -- Pappu, Awadhesh and Urvesh Yadav (brothers) and constables Chhatrapal Yadav and Sarvesh Yadav -- named as prime accused by the state police for the alleged rape and murder of the girls.