Why Kathua accused convicted under RPC

NEW DELHI: The six accused in the Kathua rape and murder case were convicted under various sections of Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), a criminal code specific to Jammu and Kashmir, which has its own constitution and laws granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.
Named after the Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1830-1885), RPC was introduced and brought into effect in 1932 under the last autocrat of the state, Maharaja Hari Singh.
RPC is broadly a replica of Indian Penal Code (IPC) which was drafted in 1860 under the chairmanship of Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay.