Murthal rape case: Evidence ‘sanitised’ to suggest nothing occurred, Amicus to HC

Nearly a decade after the Punjab and Haryana High Court took suo motu cognisance of reports published in these columns on alleged lawlessness during the Jat reservation agitation, a Division Bench was today told that the evidence in the related Murthal rape matter was presented in a filtered manner suggesting nothing had occurred.

Appearing before the Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, senior advocate and amicus curiae in the case Anupam Gupta submitted he had earlier pressed for a CBI probe into what came to be known as the Murthal rape case. “But now after 10 years, they are saying the CBI will not be able to find anything,” he said.

Questioning the manner in which the investigation was conducted in the matter, Gupta submitted a special investigation team headed by IPS officer Mamta Singh was set up. “But I must, at the end of it, acknowledge there is no rape victim found or witness to rape,” he added.

Gupta told the court: “She (SIT head) could have been more candid with this court. The evidence was sanitised out to show that nothing at all happened… Very honestly speaking in all humility and objectivity, much of what the SIT chief finally says is the result of a one-sided attempt of the SIT to absolve itself of all moral blame.”

Gupta also drew the court’s attention to a report prepared by Uttar Pradesh’s former DGP Prakash Singh Committee appointed by the Centre. Describing it as “an elaborate report, an outstanding report,” he said the document was required to be taken into consideration by the Bench.

On the second issue regarding investigation carried out by IPS officer Amitabh Singh Dhillon-headed SIT into cases registered during the period, Gupta submitted: “It was of the view that of those cases, most ought to be cancelled. That would be in conflict with the Prakash Singh Committee report set up by the government itself”.

He added that five status reports on investigation were submitted before the Bench. “They went into about a thousand cases of Rohtak district, which is the epicentre of the agitation. And most of those cases, they have recommended - for reasons which do not inspire confidence - that they should be dropped, cancelled,” Gupta added.