Kathua accused move SC, oppose transfer of case

The two prime accused in the Kathua gangrape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl approached the Supreme Court on Wednesday to oppose the plea by the victim's father's to transfer trial of the case pending against them to Chandigarh. Ahead of the hearing on the case, even the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association denied allegations that they obstructed the lawyer appearing for the victim's family and denied having threatened her from appearing in the case.

In their plea, the accused - Sanji Ram and Vishal Jangotra, who have been charge-sheeted by the Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police in the case, demanded Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the case and sought to be heard in this case by the Court.

While a Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra will take a call on the plea of the duo, the State Government is yet to file on the transfer plea by the victim's father. Already, the apex court had directed the State to provide security to the lawyer of the victim Deepika Singh Rajawat, an associate working with her and the family of the victim and the lawyer.

Meanwhile, the HC Bar Association at Jammu has denied the charges levelled against them of giving a strike call in the State in protest of filing of chargesheet by police against the accused. Making its stand clear, the Association said, "The members of the J&K HC Bar Association have not obstructed the smooth functioning of the justice delivery system in alleged Kathua rape and murder case."

The affidavit stated that the victim's lawyer had complained to the HC on April 4 and since then the national media had tried to defame the Association of stopping her, a charge which was malicious and false. The Association further denied that neither the president of the Bar Association or its members obstructed Deepika Rajawat from appearing before the Kathua court during the trial.