Kathua verdict: J&K police may appeal against acquittal

Jammu and Kashmir Police are exploring the possibility of going for an appeal against the acquittal of one of the accused and quantum of punishment to six others in Kathua gang-rape and murder case of eight-year-old nomad girl by a special court in Pathankot, Punjab.

Reacting to the punishments pronounced to six accused and the acquittal to one, Inspector General Police (IGP) Crime Branch, Afad-ul-Mujtaba said, “We will go through the contents of the judgment after receiving its copy. And we would seriously explore the possibility of going for an appeal against the acquittal of one of the accused and enhancement of the punish for six convicted in the case as we had sought capital punishment for the convicts.”

He said the judgment pronounced by the Special Court in Pathankot vindicated the point of investigation of the Crime Branch which conducted the investigation and filed charge sheet last year.

Earlier, the court sentenced three accused in the case to life imprisonment for the rape and murder while three others, all police personnel, to five years in prison for tampering with evidence.

The father of the minor victim, Muhammad Akhtar, told reporters that he had expected capital punishment for the criminals. “They should have been dealt the same way as they murdered my daughter. How could they acquit one accused in the crime? That’s injustice,” he said.

In a bid to halt attempts to polarise and politicise the heinous crime, the Supreme Court had last year in May shifted the trial to Pathankot and ordered day to day in-camera proceedings of the case.

The apex court had order shifting of the trial to Pathankot after the Kathua bar association members allegedly prevented police from filing the charge-sheet. Advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for the eight-year-old victim’s father had suggested that the trial be shifted outside the state where witnesses could be protected from being influenced or intimidated to turn hostile.

As the incident had created communal tension in the restive state in early 2018, authorities had made elaborate security arrangements at the court complex in Pathankot and Kathua in the run-up to the verdict.