Transfer of accused in labourer murder: SC seeks CBI's reply

The Supreme Court today sought a response from the CBI and the Rajasthan government on a plea seeking transfer of Shambhulal Regar to Tihar jail, who is accused of hacking and burning alive a Muslim labourer from West Bengal on December 6 last year.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud issued a notice and sought reply from the CBI and the Rajasthan government.

Gulbahar Bibi, wife of Afrazul Khan, 50, said the prime accused, who is in judicial custody, had recently uploaded videos on social networking sites.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Bibi, said that he should be shifted from a prison in Rajasthan to Tihar jail.

The bench asked Jaising to serve the copy to counsel for the CBI and the Rajasthan government and sought their response.

At the outset, counsel for the CBI said that during the course of the day they would file a reply to the petition.

The apex court had on February 16, had directed the CBI to seek instructions on a plea of the widow seeking an independent probe into the murder.

It had asked the lawyer appearing for the agency to take appropriate instructions on conducting the probe and providing of adequate compensation sought by the petitioner.

Bibi, also sought a direction that the video of her husband's ghastly murder be withdrawn from the Internet and social media sites.

She has also sought transfer of the case from Rajasthan to West Bengal.

Earlier, the apex court had termed as "horrendous" the video of the labourer being hacked and burnt alive in Rajasthan's Rajsamand district.

Khan's widow had said that the video had already been seen by millions of people and a direction be issued to the Centre and the state government to ensure that it was not circulated any further and withdrawn from the Internet.

She had also said the victims should be granted fundamental right to access to justice, as "unruly crowd has been attempting to stall the judicial process to favour the accused".

The plea sought appointment of a special public prosecutor to conduct the trial and transfer of the investigation to Malda district in West Bengal where the petitioner resides.

The killing of Khan, who hailed from West Bengal, was recorded on camera by the minor nephew of Regar, who is in judicial custody.

Regar, after the killing, was allegedly seen on the video ranting that he did it to 'stop Love Jihad', a term publicised to refer to Muslim men marrying Hindu women.