The special Investigation unit of Central Bureau of Investigation submitted the final status report of about 600 pages against the eight arrested cops of Himachal Pradesh police in custodial murder of Suraj, an accused in the Kotkhai gang rape and murder case.
Counsel for the CBI, Anshul Bansal furnished a copy of CBI status report in the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Sharma. Bansal said that CBI had completed the probe and filed charge-sheet against eight police officers including the SIT incharge of state police ZH Zaidi, DSP Manoj Joshi and SHP Rajinder Singh and others.
The CBI also informed the court that ninth police accused and former police Chief and SP D. W. Negi was in judicial custody and agency would also file the another supplementary charge-sheet against Negi within the four weeks. Negi was arrested on Nov 16.
Bansal also informed the court that CBI has recorded statement under section 164 of two SIT member DSP Bhajan Dev Negi and DSP Ratan Singh Negi in the matter and agency was contemplating to implead them as approver or witness in the custodial death or Gudiya rape case.
Taking the status report on record, Justice Karol in his oral observation praised the role of CBI to sort out the custodial death case of Suraj conducting scientific probe, however, it has reservation with probe of Kotkhai gang rape and murder case.
Counsel for the CBI pleaded that both cases are interrelated and agency was focussing on the Kotkhai case and it was likely to complete the probe in a month from today.
The agency has informed the court that it had collected as many as 1000 samples to crack the Kotkhai gang rape case and it was waiting report of some samples to confirm the involvement in the rape case. The matter will come up for next hearing on December 20.
The brutal Kotkhai gang rape had came to light on July 6 and it had jolted the entire hill state. The case was handed over to the CBI on July 19 after the state faced unprecedented public ire and demonstrations all over the state.
The Agency is said to have grilled more than 200 people in relation to the Kotkhai gang rape and murder case.