New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday said it would hear on April 24 a plea filed by the father of a four-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad last month, seeking a court-monitored probe either by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or the CBI in the case.
The plea came up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
“Did you see the chargesheet?” the bench asked senior advocate N Hariharan, who appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioner.
Hariharan said some pages of the chargesheet provided to him were blacked out.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing in the court for police, said she would provide the complete chargesheet to the petitioner’s counsel.
“We will take it up on Friday (April 24),” the bench said.
While hearing the matter on April 13, the top court flagged the “reluctance” of the Ghaziabad Police in lodging an FIR and conducting an investigation in the case.
The bench was then informed that a chargesheet dated April 3 was filed under the enhanced sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the court concerned had taken cognisance of it.
The top court had directed police to supply a copy of the chargesheet to the victim’s family.
It had said after examining the chargesheet, the petitioner might inform if there were any gaps and if an SIT was needed.
On March 16, the victim was allegedly lured away by a neighbour on the pretext of buying her chocolates. When the child did not return, her father launched a search for her and found her lying unconscious and soaked in blood.
While hearing the matter on April 10, the apex court lambasted the Ghaziabad Police’s “insensitive approach” in the investigation of the case.
The court had expressed dismay that two private hospitals in Ghaziabad had refused to admit the bleeding child and she was eventually declared dead at a government hospital. PTI ABA SJK RC
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