The court called the 19-year-old woman’s death an 'accident' and acquitted 3 of the 4 accused. Both victim and convicts' families plan to challenge the verdict.
Court acquits all 4 men of rape; main accused charged for culpable homicide. CBI had slammed UP Police for inaction, delay & not following adequate procedure in recording statement.
The crime had triggered huge outcry, and much anger was directed at the political establishment after the police cremated the girl in the dead of night.
Kappan was arrested by UP Police in October 2020. His lawyer says local sureties sought by court, which should 'take only few hours', led to delay in journalist's release after bail.
Mohammad Alam was arrested on 5 October, 2020, along with journalist Siddique Kappan, others, while driving them to Hathras. Court finds no 'incriminating evidence' against him.
Justice Krishan Pahal denied Kappan bail due to several factors, including use of tainted money, links with other accused from outside media fraternity.
16-yr-old allegedly shot dead by Brahmin man in January. Her family claims she was raped by upper caste men protected by local BJP MLA. Police deny rape, say it was a crime of passion.
In each of the 4 cases, which took place between September 2020 and January 2021, families allege they were under pressure from police to quickly cremate the bodies.
A priest and 3 of his associates are accused of the crime. Girl's family allege police harassed them. Police says investigation is on and all guilty parties will face action.
Sometimes, we end up embroidering the truth as we overthink and overanalyse a fastidious lady’s personal wardrobe preferences for significant occasions.
No nation other than China can negotiate one-on-one with Trump on an equal footing. That’s why the middle powers who so far formed the core of multilateral bodies now feel orphaned.
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