Kathua rape case: Supreme Court dismisses plea for fresh probe
The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea by an accused in the sensational Kathua gang-rape and murder case seeking fresh investigation on grounds that the probe was allegedly motivated. A bench of Justices UU Lalit and DY Chandrachud also rejected a separate plea filed by two other accused in the case seeking transfer of the investigation to an independent agency. Here's more.
Accused had said that they were falsely implicated
The bench, however, said the accused could raise this issue of independent investigation before the lower court during the ongoing trial. The two accused sought transfer of probe to CBI in April, saying they were "falsely implicated and arrayed as accused persons in the case." They cited Article 21 of the Constitution (that guarantees fair investigation as well as a trial) in their plea.
The infamous Kathua gang-rape and murder case
The accused were involved in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl from a minority nomadic community, who had disappeared from near her Kathua home on January 10. Her body was found in the same area a week later. The crime branch, which probed the case, filed the main charge sheet against seven people and a separate charge sheet against a juvenile.
