Mehbooba Mufti wants fast-track court to hear Kathua rape case
J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti has requested the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court to set up a fast track court to expedite the trial of the ghastly Kathua gangrape and murder. If the fast track court comes about, it would be the first such in the conflict-torn state. It is expected to complete the trial in 90 days. Here's more.
An eight-year-old girl of the nomadic Muslim Bakarwal community was kidnapped in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua from near her house on January 10. For a week, she was held captive, sedated and gang-raped at a local temple by men, including police officials, who allegedly wanted her community to leave the region. She was strangulated to death, her head smashed and body dumped in a forest.
The gory details of the rape and murder were revealed in a police charge sheet earlier this week, sparking nationwide protests and a midnight candle march at India Gate with major dignitaries in attendance, including Rahul Gandhi. PM Modi condemned the incident and assured justice.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to expel from service the accused cops - special police officers Deepak Khajuria and Surender Verma, head constable Tilak Raj and sub-inspector Anand Dutta. The special investigation team that is probing the incident has so far arrested eight people, including Khajuria and Verma, and Raj, for allegedly tampering with evidence.
Mufti has hailed Jammu's people on Twitter for dismissing "communal forces" and showing "unwavering support for a little girl", saying it showed that "Jammu serves as a model of inclusiveness & together the people of J&K inspire secular unity & righteousness." In another tweet, she expressed happiness at Supreme Court's chiding the lawyers of the Jammu bar association for obstructing the case's judicial process.
Heartening to see the Supreme Court take cognisance of the attempted obstruction of justice by some lawyers in the brutal Kathua rape murder case reminding us once again of the greatness of this nation. 1/2
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) April 13, 2018
Meanwhile, Industries and Commerce Minister Chander Parkash Ganga and Forests Minister Choudhary Lal Singh, both BJP leaders, resigned from the state cabinet on Friday over defending the accused and protesting against police investigation. Mufti held a meeting with her Peoples Democratic Party members in Srinagar on Saturday to discuss the resignations and the way forward.
