Insta
Kathua Case: Envelope Supposed To Contain Victim’s Hair Strands Reportedly Turns Out Empty In Court
Swarajya Staff
Jul 17, 2018, 03:03 PM | Updated 03:02 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
As per various reports, an envelope that was supposed to contain strands of hair of the eight-year-old victim of Kathua rape case, turned out to be empty when opened inside the court.
The development has left everyone stumped and sparked a row.
The envelope, produced in the court by the Special Investigating Team (SIT), was supposed to contain six strands of hair collected by the SIT from the ‘devasthan’ in Rasana village where, as per the SIT’s chargesheet, the victim was kept captive for a week.
However, when Special Public Prosecutor Santokh Singh Basra opened the envelope in front of the judge, it was empty. To this, defence counsel Anil Kumar Sawhney reportedly said that “both the prosecutors, Basra and JK Chopra, do not know what they are doing as they are producing an empty envelope in the court.”
Sawhney later told the media that “this is a cause of worry for the prosecution.”
As per a report by Greater Kashmir that quoted “sources”, a yellow-coloured envelope with seven seals/stamps by Delhi’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory was produced. There were four small envelopes inside it. All the four envelops turned out to be empty. It took about an hour to open all the envelops, says a report by Amar Ujala.
Notably, the DNA report of these hairs was produced in the court on 31 May. It reportedly said that the DNA tests show that the hair strands collected from the temple match with those of the victim. The hair were supposed to be the only, and thus crucial, evidence for SIT’s claim that the victim was kept in the one-room ‘devasthan’.
The Greater Kashmir report also said that the personal assistant of SIT member Shwetambri Sharma was the witness when hair were collected from the one-room temple. Sharma was supposed to record his statement after which he was to be cross-examined by the defence lawyers, but that could not happen.
Sharma was the tenth witness in the case which has a total of 221 witnesses.
Meanwhile, defence lawyer Sawhney told the court that the defence should be informed at least a day in advance about the witnesses so they can cross-examine.S
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.