HC seeks fresh inquiry report, asks govt to pay `3 lakh to victim

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has sought a fresh inquiry report from Tarn Taran police in an alleged gangrape case in which the police had declared two accused as innocents and failed to arrest two others, who were now proclaimed offenders. The high court bench of justice Ritu Bahri also directed the state to give `3-lakh compensation to the victim, who had conceived and is a mother now.

The court acted on the petition of the victim in which she had sought direction for ensuring her safety, alleging threats from the accused and harassment at the hands of the police. It was alleged that police were pressing her to strike a compromise with the accused, who were close to the local MLA, and they were being shielded by the police.

Appearing for the petitioner girl, advocate Deepak Sabharwal had argued that police were siding with the accused as they were known to the local MLA, an Akali politician. He had told the court that even as the case was registered in December 2015, the police had failed in filing the challan within stipulated period of three months.

The FIR was registered in December 2015 against four people, three of them accused of sexually exploiting the victim for a long time by threatening her to make public her objectionable photographs.

The 20-year-old victim gave birth to a child in March 2016, since abortion could not be carried out as pregnancy was detected in the sixth month.

In the first probe by a DSP-level official, a woman accused was given the clean chit. Subsequent probe exonerated one Angrej Singh and two others, Gurlal Singh and Hira Singh, were declared proclaimed offenders.