FIR ordered against SIT members

Jammu, October 22

Four months after six persons were convicted in the 2018 rape and murder of an eight-year-old nomadic girl in a Kathua village, a court here directed the police on Tuesday to register an FIR against six members of the special investigation team (SIT), which probed the case, for allegedly torturing and coercing witnesses to give false statements.

Judicial Magistrate Prem Sagar gave the direction to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Jammu on an application by Sachin Sharma, Neeraj Sharma and Sahil Sharma, who were witnesses in the case, saying cognisable offences are made out against the six.

The court directed the registration of FIR against the then SSP RK Jalla (now retired), ASP Peerzada Naveed, Deputy Superintendents of Police Shetmbari Sharma and Nissar Hussain, sub-inspector Urfan Wani and Kewal Kishore of the crime branch of the police and asked the SSP (Jammu) to report compliance by the next date of hearing on November 11.

“Considered the argument of counsel for the applicant and order of the Supreme Court and the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir. As per the affidavit of the counsel for applicant, no proceedings are pending for disposal in the apex court with regard to the case in question,” the court order said.

“From the gist of the complaint cognisable offences are made out against the non-applicants herein. Therefore, application of the applicant under Section 153 (3) CrPC is allowed with the direction to SSP Jammu to register FIR against the non-applicants under relevant provisions of law and report compliance by next date of hearing on November 11,” it said.

Advocate Ankur Sharma pleaded the case for the applicants.

In June this year, District and Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh sentenced to life imprisonment, the three main accused, while awarding five years in jail to three others for the destruction of evidence in the case that shook the nation. — PTI