Srinagar: Three witnesses have moved High court against Special Investigation Team of Crime Branch that is handling the kathua rape and murder case of a minor girl from nomadic community.

According to reports High Court after hearing Advocate Ankur Sharma seeks reply from the Home Secretary and all individual members of the SIT on the alleged torture, harassment and manufacturing of false evidence against Vishal (Accused).

The interim prayer of the petitioners for the appointment of a Judicial Magistrate to inquire the matter and submit the fact finding report to High Court will be decided on 29th August.

“If charges against Crime Branch officials are proved, they stand to suffer a maximum of life imprisonment,” reports said.

Pertinent to mention here is that the witnesses have already deposed before a judicial magistrate misdoings of the SIT Crime Branch by recording their statements under section 164-A CrPC.

On  Jul 2The Supreme Court had asked three witnesses, who had alleged harassment at the hands of special investigation team (SIT) probing Kathua gang rape and murder case, to approach the Jammu and Kashmir High Court with their grievances.

The three witnesses, Sahil Sharma, Sachin Sharma and Neeraj Sharma, who were the classmates of one of the key accused in college, had alleged harassment by the SIT and sought an independent enquiry into it.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud refused to order a probe into the allegation of the witnesses that they were harassed during the process of recording of their statement before the state police.
The bench had disposed of their petition giving them the liberty to approach the HC with their grievances.