Punjab, Haryana HC takes suo motu notice of Moga molestation death case

Taking suo motu cognisance of the death of a 13-year-old girl, who was allegedly molested and then thrown out of the bus, a division bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court referred the matter to another bench.

The suo motu notice was based on a letter to the chief justice of the high court by a senior citizen on the death of the minor in Moga in the April 29 incident. No date has been fixed for the hearing but it’s likely to come up this week.

The family of the victim had demanded the registration of criminal case against chief minister Prakash Singh Badal’s family. Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is the majority shareholder in Orbit Aviation, which owns the bus.

The Congress party called a bandh in Moga today. The family of the victim had initially rejected the compensation offered by the government and refused to cremate the body.

But after intervention by the Punjab chief minister, the family accepted the compensation of Rs 24 lakh and the cremation took place on Sunday.