Summary:
It includes SSP (crime branch) Ramesh Kumar Jalla, a woman DSP and other officials. CHANDIGARH: The Pathankot district court, conducting the trial in the infamous Kathua rape and murder case, has directed the members of special investigation team (SIT) of Jammu crime branch to file affidavit responding to the allegations by the “juvenile” accused regarding torture.Each member against whom the accused had levelled the allegations of torture, has been asked to file affidavits individually. It has also been alleged that he was forced to depose against other accused.“Even a video conferencing of the accused was arranged with SIT chief Peerzada Naveed, who was in Kashmir and asked him to turn approver in the case. He was promised that he would not get any punishment in this case, if he agrees to their proposal,” the lawyer had alleged.On May 7, the Supreme Court had shifted the trial to Pathankot, which is around 26 km from Kathua that had witnessed mass protests and triggered political crisis in the state over the investigation report of Jammu and Kashmir police. District and sessions judge Tejwinder Singh has passed these orders after expressing dissatisfaction over the reply filed by the prosecution on the complaint.Counsel for the accused, advocate A K Sawhney, told that they had submitted a complaint giving complete account as to “how the juvenile was tortured and pressurised to turn approver” but the police had filed a reply containing three paragraphs denying the allegations.“The judge was not satisfied with the inappropriate reply filed by the prosecution and that is why ordered each officer against whom allegations were made, to file affidavit in individual capacity before the court by July 9,” Sawhney added.Meanwhile, the trial court has also kept the issue regarding determination of juvenile’s age for Wednesday for further arguments.In its complaint, given on Tuesday, the accused had submitted that on June 23, he was illegally picked up from Kathua jail, taken into a private SUV of a woman DSP-rank officer and taken to crime branch office in Jammu.It was also submitted that since he was in judicial custody, police could not have moved him from jail without permission of the trial court..