Supreme Court transfers Kathua gangrape case to Pathankot, rejects CBI probe demand

The Supreme Court on Monday transferred the Kathua gangrape and murder case outside Jammu and Kashmir to Pathankot district and sessions court in Punjab.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra ordered transfer of the case and refused to entertain the demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the matter.

The bench directed that the trial in the rape and brutal murder case of an eight-year-old Bakerwal girl should be fast tracked and held in-camera. The apex court also ruled that the trial should be conducted on a day-to-day basis to avoid any delay.

The trial would be held in accordance with the provisions of Ranbir Penal Code, applicable in Jammu and Kashmir, the apex court said. The bench also comprising Justices DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra ordered continuation of security to the family members and lawyer of the victim.

"The security provided to the juvenile accused will continue," the bench directed.

The top court directed translation of statements and records of the case from Urdu to English and also.

The victim, an eight-year-old girl from a Muslim nomadic community, had disappeared from near her home in a village close to Kathua in the Jammu region on January 10.

She was allegedly held in captivity inside a tample in the village where she was repeatedly gang-raped before being brutally murdered. Her blood-ridden body was found in the same area a week later.

(With inputs from agencies)