Court clears decks for CBI probe into Shopian rape-murder (Lead)
August 28th, 2009 - 11:16 pm ICT by IANSSrinagar, Aug 28 (IANS) The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Friday cleared the decks for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the Shopian rape and murder of two women that triggered public outrage across the valley.
A division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Barin Ghosh and Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the local bar association passed an order saying that the court was leaving it for the state government to decide if it wanted the CBI to investigate the May 30 crime.
“We feel it is up to the government to decide through which agency it would have the crime investigated. We accordingly leave the matter entirely to the discretion of the state government. We make it amply clear that none of our orders shall stand in the way of the government’s move,” the court observed.
The state government had moved an application before the court maintaining that it was ready to have the Shopian rape and murder investigated by the CBI if the court allowed the plea.
The state government had earlier informed the state assembly that it was ready to have the case investigated by the CBI if it was needed to bring those responsible for the crime to justice.
Two women, Nilofar Jan, 22, and her sister-in-law Asiya Jan, 17, were raped and murdered in south Kashmir’s Shopian district and their bodies were found by the side of a local stream outside the town on May 30.
Four police officers, including then district police chief, a deputy superintendent of police, an inspector and a sub-inspector, were suspended and later arrested by the government for negligence of duty and destruction of vital evidence in the case that triggered a public outrage across the Valley.
The high court had earlier ordered the DNA sampling and narco-analysis of the accused officers to unearth the truth about their involvement in the crime.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Friday he would instruct the special investigating team (SIT) probing the crime to work round the clock before the case was taken over by the CBI.
- Rs.20 lakh reward for Shopian case information: police - Aug 29, 2009
- Shopian murder: Four accused Kashmir cops arrested after court order (Lead) - Jul 15, 2009
- Shopian murder: Kashmir court orders DNA test of accused cops - Jul 15, 2009
- CBI files Shopian double murder probe report - Dec 14, 2009
- Senior police official to supervise Shopian probe team - Jul 04, 2009
- Interlocutors visiting Shopian in south Kashmir - Oct 26, 2010
- Court asks CBI not to leak Shopian probe details - Sep 30, 2009
- Policemen get bail in Shopian rape and murder - Sep 11, 2009
- Shopian rape-murder culprits will be brought to justice: Omar - Sep 08, 2009
- Jammu and Kashmir approaches CBI to probe Shopian murders - Sep 09, 2009
- High court defers Shopian murder case hearing - Aug 19, 2009
- Shopian deaths due to drowning, no rape, murder: CBI (Lead) - Dec 14, 2009
- Shopian deaths due to drowning; no rape, murder: CBI (Second Lead) - Dec 14, 2009
- J and K HC orders exhumation of Shopian rape victims bodies - Jul 04, 2009
- 48-day-long strike ends in Shopian - Jul 16, 2009
Tags: barin, cbi probe, central bureau of investigation, chief justice, chief minister, deputy superintendent, district police, division bench, dna sampling, ghosh, jammu, local bar association, public interest litigation, public outrage, rape murder, sister in law, south kashmir, state assembly, vital evidence, yaqoob
