Kathua rape case: Supreme Court directs J&K government to provide protection to victim's family members

The trial at the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Kathua in the Kathua rape and murder case was postponed today to April 28. The court directed the prosecution to provide charges heet copies to eight accused, who allegedly held an eight-year-old girl in captivity in a small village temple for a week in January during which she was kept sedated and sexually assaulted before being bludgeoned to death.

Meanwhile, the counsel for the victim's family Deepika S Rajawat has said, " The Supreme Court has issued directions to the authorities to provide protection to us (victim family and their counsel)".

The father of the victim has said that he wants justice and the culprits should be hanged. Meanwhile the mother of the victim also reiterated the fact the need for having security as anything can happen and also justice for her daughter.



The accused include a juvenile against whom a separate charge sheet was filed.

Considering the sensitivity of the case, the Jammu and Kashmir government has appointed two special public prosecutors to ensure the "neutrality" in view of Hindu-Muslim polarisation.

The trial is expected to go smoothly after the Jammu Bar association as well as the Kathua Bar received a rap on the kuckles by the Supreme Court on April 13 as the apex court took a strong note of some lawyers obstructing the judicial process in the case.

The Supreme Court initiated a case on its own record saying such impediment "affects the dispensation of justice and would amount to obstruction of access to justice".

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud was also critical of the Jammu High Court Bar Association, which had passed a resolution not to attend the courts saying "it is the duty of the bar association as a collective body and they cannot obstruct the process of law".

According to the charge sheets filed by the crime branch, the abduction, rape and killing of the Bakerwal girl was part of a carefully planned strategy to remove the minority nomadic community from the area.

It lists the caretaker of 'Devisthan', a small temple, in a village in Kathua, as the main conspirator behind the crime.

Sanji Ram was allegedly joined by special police officers Deepak Khajuria and Surender Verma, friend Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu, Ram's nephew, a juvenile, and his son Vishal Jangotra alias "Shamma".

The charge sheet also names investigating officers head constable Tilak Raj and Sub-Inspector Anand Dutta, who allegedly took Rs 4 lakh from Ram and destroyed crucial evidence.

All eight are under arrest.

The crime branch will also be handing over the notices issued to the Jammu Bar Council as well as Kathua Bar Council for appearing before the Supreme Court on April 19.

The Bar Association of Kathua has already retracted from its earlier statement of providing legal assistance free of cost to the accused and said after going through the charge sheet presented by the crime branch (against the accused in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate on April 9) it is revealed that the allegations against the accused persons are very grave and as such this case is to be dealt with in a professional way.

Members of the same association had blocked the way of crime branch personnel from submitting the charge sheet before the chief judicial magistrate for six hours forcing the police to present it at the house of the magistrate.

Police have already registered a case against lawyers for obstructing public servants from performing their duty.

(Inputs from PTI)