Kathua rape and murder case: Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking CBI probe

The Supreme Court Friday dismissed a petition filed by two accused in the Kathua rape and murder case seeking an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The apex court also set aside a plea for fresh investigation filed on grounds that the probe conducted was motivated. The bench observed that allegations tendered by the accused can be raised during ongoing trial. An eight-year-old girl belonging to a minority community was raped and murdered in Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir, after having disappeared from her home on January 10 this year. The girl’s father had moved the apex court, apprehending threat to the family and their lawyer Deepika Singh Rajawat. In September, lawyer and rights activist, Talib Hussain, who is also a key witness in the case, was shifted to another cell following alleged life threat. The doctors who conducted a post-mortem on the eight-year-old girl told a court in Pathankot that the victim who was sexually assaulted had died of asphyxia. Fifty-four witnesses had deposed before the court in the trial in the rape and murder case. Source: The Indian Express