HC modifies order to summon CBI chief in rape-murder case

Shimla : After the CBI filed another status report in its probe into the gang rape and murder of a schoolgirl and the custodial death of an accused, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Thursday amended its order issed a day earlier to summon the agency Director.

The court deferred his appearance till May 9.

Raising questions pertaining to the CBI probe, a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Sharma on Wednesday had directed the CBI chief to personally appear in the court and file an affidavit on the probe status on April 18.

After hearing CBI counsel's plea on Thursday, the bench said: "If the status report (of the CBI) to be filed on April 25 is not satisfactory and didn't contain sufficient evidence, the CBI Director is supposed to appear in the court on May 9." 

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) counsel Anshul Bansal said here: "Our investigations are scientific. Yesterday (Wednesday), after the court hearing, we received some leads into the crime and this morning we apprised the High Court through an additional status report."

He said the case could be cracked by the CBI any time now.

"We have in the status report said that hopefully by the next date (on April 25) we will present the accused before the court. On the basis of the status report, the High Court modified its order," he added.

The bench observed on Wednesday: "It has been more than eight months that this court entrusted the investigation to the CBI... We are only reminded of the fact that the crime relates to the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl child which evoked great anger and pain.

"Are we to understand that CBI officers are not competent enough to unearth the crime of such nature within eight months?"

Both the gang rape and the murder case and that pertaining to the subsequent custodial death of an accused are being monitored by the High Court and are being investigated by the CBI.

Police said the schoolgirl was offered a lift in a vehicle by the accused on July 4 last year while she was returning home from school in Kotkhai town, 56 km from here.

On the way, the accused and his associates raped and murdered her in a nearby forest. Her naked body with injury marks was found two days later.

The arrested accused were prime accused Rajinder Singh, who offered her the lift, Ashish Chauhan, Subhash Bisht, Deepak Kumar, Suraj Singh (since deceased) and Lokjan. Currently, all the accused are on bail.

However, there was a new twist in the case after Rajinder Singh allegedly murdered Suraj Singh in the police lock-up on July 19. 

After the CBI took over, nine policemen, including Inspector General of Police Z.H. Zaidi and former Shimla Superintendent of Police D.W. Negi, were arrested on the charge of custodial death. They are in judicial custody.

Zaidi was head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up to probe the case before the CBI took over.