Kotkhai rape-murder case: HC expresses satisfaction over CBI

The Himachal Pradesh High Court today expressed satisfaction over the progress of the CBI probe in the Kotkhai rape-murder case and the custodial death case, and fixed the next hearing on December 20.
A division comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Sharma perused the status report submitted by the CBI in both the casesand directed that a charge-sheet be filed in the case of custodial death by November 30.
The high court had transferred the case to the CBI after the death of Suraj, an accused in the rape and killing of a schoolgirl, in police custody on July 19 and is closely monitoring the progress of investigation.

The CBI has so far submitted five status reports and had asked for two months' time but the CBI fixed the next hearing on December 20.
The counsel for CBI Anshul Bansal said a 70-page report was submitted today and the charge-sheet would be filed in the custodial death case by November 30.
The CBI had arrested eight police officials, including Inspector General of Police Z H Zaidi and DSP Manoj Joshi, in the custodial death case and also got their narco test conducted.

The CBI had arrested six accused in the Kothkai rape and murder case and all of them were released on bail by the district court.

A sixteen-year-old girl had gone missing on July 4 last and here naked body was recovered from Halalia forests in Kotkhai area. A case of rape and murder was registered after the post-mortem report confirmed rape and murder.
The incident triggered public outcry and protests and the DGP constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by an IG rank officer but it was disbanded after the custodial death of Suraj and the transfer of the twin cases to the CBI.