Kathua trial info ‘leaked’, counsel sorry

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Pathankot, July 10

Defence counsel in the Kathua rape and murder case on Tuesday had to tender an apology to District and Sessions Judge Dr Tejwinder Singh following allegations that the trial proceedings were being leaked despite the Supreme Court orders that these be held in-camera.

Prosecution witness Rajnish Khajuria, who owns a chemist shop in Rasana village, the native place of the eight-year-old girl who was raped and murdered, unexpectedly turned hostile while being examined by Special Public Prosecutors Santokh Singh Basra and JK Chopra. He denied he had sold sedatives to one of the accused, Deepak Khajuria, as claimed in the chargesheet.

As this made big news on the social media, Basra and Chopra blamed defence counsel Anil Kumar Sawhney for “leaking” information. 

However, an unfazed Sawhney claimed it was his junior lawyer who had flashed the news. The matter was brought to the notice of the judge and Sawhney tendered an apology. Taking another U-turn, Khajuria later supported the case of the prosecution, stating he did selk three strips of sedatives to Deepak Khajuria, whom he knew well.