JammuThe Jammu and Kashmir Police Crime Branch on Tuesday decided to approach a court against a defence lawyer in the Kathua rape-murder case for allegedly “circulating twisted facts” on the matter, informed sources said.
Crime Branch sources said that the probe agency had taken cognisance of a compact disc recording wherein a case witness is seen and heard claiming that he had been coerced by the Crime Branch to give a statement against one of the eight accused, Vishal Sharma.
Vishal is the son of rape-murder mastermind Sanjhi Ram.
The defence lawyer was accused of passing off the CD content as a statement given by the witness in front of a Magistrate. Initial investigations allegedly showed that the CD was prepared outside a court premises by the said lawyer to mislead the public.
“This is definitely an attempt to browbeat the witnesses. We have to immediately step in, keeping in mind the sensitivities attached to the case,” the sources said.
The rape-murder case is listed for court hearing on April 28.
On April 21, the Crime Branch had dubbed as “false” reports appearing in a section of media regarding the rape-murder case.
It had said that the medical experts had confirmed the sedation, sexual assault and subsequent murder of the eight-year-old girl, regarding which a case was registered at the Hiranagar police station in Kathua district.
The Crime Branch had presented a chargesheet in court after completing all legal formalities of investigation and was also in the process of submitting a supplementary chargesheet.
The girl, belonging to a Bakarwal Muslim family, was kidnapped on January 10 and her body found on January 17 near Rasana village in Hiranagar tehsil in Kathua district.
Police investigations revealed she was held captive inside a temple, sedated and repeatedly raped before her murder. Police has filed chargesheet against eight persons in the case.
Court Denies Bail To Juvenile Accused
A Kathua court on Tuesday dismissed the bail plea of an alleged juvenile offender, detained in the rape and murder case of an eight-year-old girl here.
The bail application of the underage accused was turned down by Kathua Chief Judicial Magistrate A S Langeh, the local lawyers said.
The counsel for the underage accused had moved the court for his bail soon after the Crime Branch had filed its charge sheet against him and seven other adults allegedly involved in the January rape and murder case.
The alleged juvenile offender had sought the bail on the ground of his age.
According to the Crime Branch charge sheet, the juvenile accused had played a key role in the abduction, rape and gruesome murder of the girl.
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