The CBI filed a fresh status report on the Kotkhai rape and murder case in the Himachal Pradesh High Court today, saying it had solid evidence against the accused which would be revealed during the next hearing on April 25.
Yesterday, the court had rapped the Central Bureau of Investigation over the tardy pace of probe into the sensational case, and summoned the CBI chief to appear before it on April 18.
A division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Sharma, today asked the agency to file the status report before next hearing on April 25 with credible evidence against the accused.
It also amended its order asking the CBI chief to appear before it on April 18 and made it clear that in case it was not satisfied with the status report, the agency chief would have to appear on May 9.
CBI sources said the agency had identified the culprits and gathered solid evidence against them and the accused would be behind the bars soon.
A 16-year-old girl was gangraped and killed in Kotkhai in Shimla district in July, 2017.
The case was handed over to the CBI on July 19, 2017 along with a case pertaining to the custodial death of an accused, Suraj, in the lock up in Kotkhai Police station.
The CBI has already filed a charge-sheet against all nine accused in the case.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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