HC dismayed at leak of CBI reports on Kotkhai rape-and-murder case

The Himachal Pradesh High Court today expressed its dismay at the leak of the CBI's status reports on the probe into the rape-and-murder of a teenaged schoolgirl in the Kotkhai area of Shimla that were filed in sealed covers, and asked the central agency how contents of these reports were being published in the media.

The observations were made by a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Sandeep Sharma after the CBI submitted a fresh status report on the progress of the probe.

On being asked, the CBI told the bench that it was the last report and the charge sheet against the accused arrested in the case would be filed within the prescribed time period of 90 days, by July 11.

The court, however, did not change its earlier order summoning the Director of the CBI to appear before it on May 9. The bench asked the CBI Director to file a personal affidavit by May 8 and in case, the court was not satisfied, the Director would have to appear on May 9 as directed earlier.

The CBI has arrested a 25-year-old woodcutter, Anil Kumar, in connection with the rape-and-murder case, after his DNA sample matched the genetic material found on the body of the victim and the crime scene.

The accused was produced in a local court which remanded him in 14-day judicial custody.

Meanwhile, the local court today extended the judicial custody of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Z H Zaidi, then Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Manoj Joshi and six other policemen till May 1. They were arrested in connection with the custodial death of one of the six accused arrested earlier by the state police.

The CBI has not found any evidence of their involvement in the gruesome rape-and-murder in July last year, which had become a rallying point against the then Congress government in Himachal Pradesh.

Zaidi was heading a Special Investigation Team (SIT) which was initially probing the rape-and-murder case.