The Himachal Pradesh High Court today heard the Gudiya Gang rape & murder case admitting second status report of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and granted two weeks time to complete the probe. Moreover, the Court ordered all members of Himachal Pradesh Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) to remain present in the Court tomorrow. The Division bench of acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Sharma today took the CBI’s second status report on the record.
The Court went through the SR and directed the member of SIT of State Police to give personal presence before the Bench tomorrow. The Court pointed out that members of SIU who were camping at State Guest house Peterhoff should vacate it. The Bench in oral observation directed the CBI to not enjoy the hospitality of State Guest House and vacate it immediately moreover, it has been asked to shift to the Central Government guest house like Grand hotel for further investigation.
The Court also pointed out to probe the case by the two teams ordering that rape and murder case should be headed by only one team and there should not be two different teams who should visit probe the case on the spot. Earlier, Mr. Anshul Bansal, counsel for CBI filed the second dossier of the status report before the Court pleading the Bench to not finding of SIU public in the case keeping the progress of nascent investigation in mind. Mr. Bansal urged the Court that it should be given four weeks to complete the probe however, the Court rejecting four weeks time allowed the agency to come up before the Court within next two week completing the probe in the matter.
The counsel of CBI Mr. Anshual Bansal told that the Court read the CBI charge sheet however directed in the order to not make it public. Advocate General and counsel for the state Mr. Sharwan Dogra urged the Court to order the CBI to disclose the outcome of the case and what progress they have made in the investigation. The case was listed for the hearing today in the morning had to adjourn as Director General of Police Mr. Somesh Goel and the member of SIT was not present in the Court.
After the post lunch hearing in the case, Court ordered the member of state police SIT to remain present in the court tomorrow. Impleading the police SIT party in the case court directed state advocate General to not defend the SIT members who would have to plead in the court by their own lawyers. Mr. Bansal said that Court decided to implead the SIT member party after going through the finding of CBI in the status report. The role of SIT is also under scanner after the death of one suspect, Suraj, in police custody. SIU is also probing the issue of death of an accused. The summoning of SIT members followed filling of CBI second charge sheet and keeping its observation by the bench today. He said that court also summoned the SIT member Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Zahur Haidar Zaidi and
The summoning of SIT members followed filling of CBI second charge sheet and keeping its observation by the bench today. He said that court also summoned the SIT member Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Zahur Haidar Zaidi and other member along with DGP to remain present in the Court tomorrow. As it has been mentioned earlier that 10 standard 15 yrs old Gudiya(not real name) was gang raped and murdered as here partly mutilated body was recovered from the Asia’s densest forest Tandi on July 7 evening.
The State Government had ordered investigation of state SIT however the death of one of suspect in the police lock up forced the Court to hand over the case to CBI. Now it is interesting to know whether High Court orders the member of SIT to be booked for mishandling and covering up the crime which likely to be committed by someone else. The CBI did not confirm SIT theory into this heinous crime and pointed out the serious flaw in the its investigation and mysterious death of one of suspect in the case.