Court denies relief to Kathua murder-rape convict, cites gravity of monstrous crime
Jammu: In a significant development in one of the most horrific crimes to shock the conscience of humanity, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused to grant relief to a key convict in the 2018 Kathua rape and murder case, citing the gravity and brutality of the offence.
According to Kashmir Media Service, a division bench comprising Justices Gurvinder Singh Gill and Ramesh Kumari dismissed the plea seeking suspension of sentence, ruling that the case does not merit such concession at this stage.
The court, in its order, made it clear that without delving into the merits, the nature of the crime and the circumstances do not justify interim relief to the convict.
The case pertains to the barbaric rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in January 2018, a crime that drew widespread condemnation due to its shocking cruelty.
According to the charge sheet filed by the Crime Branch, the minor was abducted, drugged, held captive inside a temple for several days, and repeatedly assaulted before being brutally killed.
The main accused, a former caretaker of the temple where the crime occurred, had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 2019, along with two co-accused. The trial court had described the incident as “devilish and monstrous,” carried out in a “shameful, inhumane and barbaric manner,” reflecting the extreme severity of the offence.
Rejecting the arguments for leniency, the High Court maintained that the seriousness of the crime outweighs considerations for suspension of sentence. It, however, directed that the main appeal be listed for final hearing in September.
The Kathua case had earlier prompted intervention by the Supreme Court of India, which transferred the trial to Pathankot to ensure fair proceedings and ordered day-to-day hearings.
