Kathua rape: Medical examination sought for eighth accused

CHANDIGARH: Prosecution in the infamous Kathua rape and muder case has objected to the claim of one of the accused that he is a juvenile and requested the trial court to order his medical examination to determine his age. The court will consider the issue on Tuesday and pass the final order.
While the trial against seven of the eight accused has already begun, the fate of the eighth accused, who has been claiming himself to be a juvenile, is yet to be decided. Meanwhile, one prosecution witness appeared before the trial court on Monday and recorded his statement regarding the incident. His deposition would continue on Tuesday. Crime branch SSP Ramesh Kumar Jalla of Jammu police also appeared before the trial court and assured the court that the police would ensure the presence of witnesses in future.

Upset over the non-presence of 17 prosecution witnesses before the court, district and sessions judge Tejwinder Singh summoned the SSP. The latter was asked to explain prosecution’s casual approach towards the trial of such a crucial case. The court on Thursday had framed the charges of rape and murder against seven of the eight accused in this case and had fixed the case for evidence on Friday.

As per the charge-sheet of Jammu and Kashmir police, an eight-year-old girl from the minority nomadic community was kidnapped on January 10 and allegedly raped in captivity at a village temple in Kathua district. She was later killed by the accused. On May 7, the Supreme Court had shifted the trial to Pathankot, which is around 26 km from Kathua, that had witnessed mass protests and triggered political crisis in the state over the investigation report of Jammu and Kashmir police. On May 31, the trial of the case had begun and all accused had been appearing before the court to face the trial.