Kathua Rape and muder case Verdict: Pathankot Court

The Pathankot Court has convicted six of the seven accused in an eight-year-old girl's rape and muder case in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua last year in January. The court has acquitted one accused in the case.

The former government officer and temple priest Sanji Ram, Parvesh Kumar, two special police officers Deepak Khajuria and Surender Verma and Head constable Tilak Raj convicted by Pathankot court in Kathua rape & murder case, reported news agency ANI.

The quantum of sentencing in the Kathua rape and murder case will be pronounced today.

"Persons convicted by Pathankot court are Sanji Ram, Anand Dutta, Parvesh Kumar, Deepak Khajuria, Surender Verma and Tilak Raj. Verdict yet to come on Vishal," says Advocate Mubeen Farooqui, representing victim's family. Vishal is son of main accused Sanji Ram.

The accused have been convicted under atleast three sections including Ranbir Penal Codes' Sections 201 (pertaining to the disappearance of evidence) and 120-B (pertaining to criminal conspiracy).

The incident that took place in January last year had shook the country. The Pathankot court pronounced its verdict in the brutal rape case.

On January 10, 2018, an eight-year-old girl from a minority ‘Bakarwal’ was kidnapped and gang-raped in captivity in a village temple in Kathua district, according to J&K police charge sheet. The minor was later brutally killed by the accused.

On May 7, the Supreme Court shifted the trial to Pathankot, after the victim’s family approached the court citing life threat and security issue. "It was disturbing to see people protest for the accused, these people were misguided. If verdict comes in our favour it would be an answer to those who try to divide the society," lawyer Deepika Rajawat said.

Main accused Sanji Ram, along with six others, were accused under the Ranbir Penal Code(RPC), including Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder) and 376-D (gang-rape). The accused, if convicted, face minimum life imprisonment and a maximum death penalty.

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