Kathua Rape: Supreme Court Allows Witnesses To Approach High Court On Torture Allegations

The Supreme Court asked three witnesses who had alleged torture by the state police probing the Kathua rape case to move the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to seek redressal to their grievances reported Bar and Bench.

A Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud granted the petitioners liberty to move the High Court. Advocates Ravi Sharma and Laksh Khanna appeared for the petitioners. State of Jammu and Kashmir was represented by Senior Advocate Gopal Subramanium.

The report stated that the three witnesses, Sahil Sharma, Sachin Sharma and Neeraj Sharma, who were classmates of one of the accused, had alleged that they were ‘coerced’ by the police to make a statement contrary to the fact that Vishal Jangotra was with them in Miranpur,Uttar Pradesh between 7 January 2018 to 10 February 2018.

Subramanium told the Court that the three witnesses will not be made accused in the case.

The Bench refused to order a probe into the allegations, reported The Pioneer.

The petitioners had alleged that they had been physically and mentally tortured. The petitioners also sought a compensation of Rs 50 lakh each for “the physical and mental agony and loss of study and future prospects”, the report stated further.

In May, the Court had allowed the witnesses to be accompanied by their family members while recording their statements before the police.