HC to hear Kathua appeals in fortnight

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 5

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday ordered that the appeals filed by four convicts in the Kathua rape and murder case would be heard on a regular basis in exactly a fortnight from today, even as a longish adjournment was sought on the grounds that the appeal against the acquittal of an accused was to be filed by the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Refusing to grant the same, the Division Bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu summoned the trial court record through a special messenger.

As the appeals came up for hearing this morning, counsel Manbir Singh Basra told the Bench that the J&KGovernment had appointed a special public prosecutor to represent the State before the trial court. But the government had to issue a notification for appointing the special public prosecutor for appearing before the High Court in the matter. Basra also submitted that the State was to file an appeal against acquittal, for which time was required. The Bench, after hearing Basra, made it clear that the court would hear the matter on July 18.

The Bench has already admitted for hearing appeal filed by the four convicts - Parvesh Kumar, alias Mannu, Deepak Khajuria, alias Deepu, Anand Dutta and Surinder Kumar. While Parvesh Kumar and Deepak Khajuria have challenged the trial court order slapping sentence of life imprisonment on them, Anand Dutta and Surinder Kumar have challenged five years’ imprisonment sentence awarded to them on June 1.

Taking up the matter, the Bench on the previous date of hearing directed that the recovery of the fine imposed, along with the jail sentence, would remain suspended during the pendency of the appeals.

An eight-year-old girl was kidnapped and sedated before she was raped multiple times and bludgeoned to death in Kathua district. Taking up the case, the trial court had held six of the seven accused guilty.