The eight-year-old nomadic girl was brutally raped and murdered in Kathua in January.
In a fresh development in the Kathua rape and murder case, medical reports of one of the eight accused who pleaded to be treated as juvenile revealed that he is more than 20 years of age. The report was submitted before the district and sessions court in Pathankot by the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s crime branch on Monday.
Special public prosecutor J K Chopra, who submitted the report of Parvesh Kumar, alias Mannu, in the court, said, “The report has been submitted and final arguments on it will be concluded tomorrow, after which the judge will pronounce his verdict.”
Chopra added, “According to medical opinion, his age is stated to be 20 plus.”
The medical test on the accused was carried out on June 22 and 23 after District and Sessions Judge Tajwinder Singh directed the crime branch to conduct a bone ossification test to ascertain the age of Mannu. The court ordered the test after the defense counsel urged it to treat Mannu as a minor, citing his matriculation certificate.
A team of doctors, consisting of medicos from various steams, including the radiology department, was formed and the accused was examined last month under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police R K Jalla.
Besides this, the defense counsel today filed a separate application before the court, alleging that Mannu was subjected to torture on June 23 by the crime branch. The plea claimed that the crime branch was forcing Kumar to turn into an approver in the case.
However, police officials denied the charge and said it will be contested in the court.
Hearing the case resumed after a 16-day summer break. The eight-year-old nomadic girl was brutally raped and murdered in Kathua in January.