Punjab and Haryana HC denies bail to Kathua rape-murder accused

Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed the bail plea, stating that the acts shock the collective conscience and that long custody alone does not entitle the accused to bail given the seriousness of the crime and the accused's alleged role. It directed the Pathankot trial court to expedite proceedings and preferably conclude within one year. The plea argued eight years of custody, and the court noted that 41 of 309 witnesses had been examined in the case.

Special court sentenced three accused—Sanji Ram (mastermind/caretaker), Deepak Khajuria, and Parvesh Kumar—to life imprisonment. Three others—Anand Dutta, Tilak Raj, and Surender Verma—were convicted of destruction of evidence and given five years in jail with a fine of ₹50,000 each. Vishal Jangotra was acquitted. The trial of the minor was still underway at that time.

The accused, who was a minor at the time of the crime, has been in custody since January 19, 2018.

The nomadic girl was abducted on January 10, 2018 in the Kathua region. She was allegedly raped in captivity in a village temple and later bludgeoned to death after being kept sedated for four days, as per the chargesheet.

After initial hurdles, the case was handed over to the state crime branch, which unravelled the conspiracy. The Supreme Court directed the case to be shifted out of Jammu and Kashmir and directed the Pathankot sessions court to hear it on a daily basis.