Victim’s father wants justice.
Father called by the court to give power of attorney for the private counsels, after lawyers for the accused objected to private counsels appearing for the victim.
Court refuses to shift accused to Pathankot jail.
PATHANKOT,4 JUNE: The father of the eight-year-old girl who was raped and brutally murdered in Rasana village of Kathua in January this year reiterated that he has full faith in judiciary and the only thing he wanted was justice for his child.
The father visited the Pathankot court on Monday for the first time since the trial of the case was shifted to Pathankot from Kathua, where lawyers and local residents effectively rallied for the accused.
The case was shifted to Pathankot on Supreme Court orders and the trial is being held on a daily basis. The father of the girl appeared in the court after the lawyers for the accused objected to private counsels appearing for the victim.
The defense lawyers had moved an application in the court on 31 May objecting to private counsels appearing for the victim. The father was called by the court to give power of attorney for the private counsels.
“The father gave power of attorney and court allowed five private counsels (lawyers) but only to assist the Public Prosecutor, Basra,” advocate KK Puri told media persons.
Court refuses to shift accused to Pathankot jail after Basara had contended in his application as the hearing of the case is going on a daily basis at Pathnkot, the accused should be shifted to a nearby jail in Punjab. The application was moved by Santokh Singh Basara who was appointed by the J&K government as public prosecutor for the case that had evoked a global outrage.
All the accused in the gruesome crime will continue to brought daily from Kathua to Pathankot in neighbouring Punjab state.
A deputy inspector general of Punjab police had also written a letter to the court arguing that shifting of the accused to Pathankot may cause law and order problems.
Earlier on Monday, all the seven accused were produced in the court at Pathankot amid tight security.Except media persons, no one was allowed to enter the court premises. Media persons were issued special passes and were allowed to move up to a certain point inside the court.
