Delhi Cantt rape case: Delhi HC asks Crime Branch to submit status report on investigation

New Delhi [India], August 17 : Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Crime Branch to file a status report mentioning the stage of investigation while hearing the parents of a deceased minor girl, who was allegedly raped and murdered, seeking a judicial probe in the alleged lapses in administrative action.
Justice Yogesh Khanna asked the Crime Branch of Delhi Police to file a status report and listed the matter for further hearing on November 8.
Appearing for the respondent state, advocate Sanjay Lao told the Court that the matter has been transferred to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police and a special team has been constituted for probing the matter. The special team is being monitored by the senior officials of Delhi Police, advocate Lao told the Court. He also said that round-the-clock security has been provided to the family of the deceased.
Advocate Jitender Jha, appearing for the petitioner urged the Delhi High Court to continue the security provided to the family of the deceased. The Court has allowed the plea and directed to continue providing round-the-clock security to the family members of the victim.
Parents of the deceased minor girl who was allegedly raped and murdered, have knocked the doors of the Delhi High Court seeking a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and a judicial probe in the alleged lapses in administrative action, including alleged delay in registration of an FIR in the case.
A fresh petition filed before the court sought direction to the Delhi government and Delhi Police with the prayer to direct respondents to judicial inquiry and constitution of SIT for investigation.
The plea has been filed through advocate Jitender Jha and Suresh Kumar Choudhary, lawyers for the victim's family.
The plea stated that a Judicial probe of the matter can reveal why there was a delay by police in arriving at the spot when the police station is barely a kilometre away from the place of an incident.
"Why was there a delay in the registration of an FIR? Why were the petitioners tortured and threatened in the police station to compromise the matter? Why did the police fail to preserve the place of crime and vital evidence? Why did the administration fail to give protection to the petitioners and their witnesses? Why did the police fail to take police custody of the accused persons for the purpose of investigation in the initial 9 days of their arrest, etc." the plea said.
The petition said that it is clear that the police was acting only and only to save their officials who deliberately destroyed vital evidence of this case and the accused persons, the plea alleged.
Recently, the Delhi Government had directed the city police to provide police protection to the victim's family and prime witness of the minor rape case. In an official communication, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Delhi Cantt directed Station House Officer (SHO) Delhi Cantt to provide police protection to the victim's family and prime witness in the alleged rape and murder case of the minor girl.
The case of the minor girl who was allegedly raped, murdered and cremated without her parents' consent in Delhi's Old Nangal crematorium has been transferred to the crime branch for speedy investigation. Police Commissioner of Delhi, Rakesh Asthana gave the direction for the transfer of the case.
On August 1, a nine-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed by a priest and three employees of a crematorium near Delhi Cantonment in southwest Delhi, the police had said.
Delhi Police registered a case against four accused on the basis of the statement of the minor's mother who alleged that her daughter was raped, murdered and cremated without their consent on Sunday. The accused persons have been booked under Sections 302, 376 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the SC/ST Act.