File fresh report by April 25, HC tells CBI

Accused will be produced before the court by the next date, says CBI counsel Anshul Bansal

SHIMLA:A day after Himachal Pradesh high court summoned the CBI director, the probe agency submitted a fresh status report before the court.

The court directed the CBI to file a fresh status report on April 25 and summoned the director on May 9.

However, the CBI counsel, while talking to the media, claimed the accused will be held before the next date.

CBI counsel Anshul Bansal said, “We have some fresh leads in this case. The court has given us time to file the report. We are hopeful that the accused will be produced before the court by the next date.”

Earlier, the court had summoned CBI director Alok Kumar Verma and asked him to appear before it on April 18.

Chief justice Sanjay Karol and justice Sandeep Sharma read the fresh status report and amended its yesterday’s (Wednesday) order.

“Perhaps the investigation agency is clueless in this case. Despite all facilitation, no fruitful result has come so far,” the bench had said on Wednesday.

In July 2017, HC bench had asked the CBI to speed up its probe. The high court had also directed the state to provide assistance to the probe agency, who has been investigating Kotkhai gangrape and murder case along with the custodial death case of an accused.

On December 15 last year, CBI had announced a reward of ₹10 lakh for providing credible information about the accused.

A 16-year-old school girl was gangraped and killed in Kotkhai in Shimla district in July, 2017.

The case was handed over to the CBI on July 19, 2017 along with a case pertaining to the custodial death of an accused, Suraj, in the lock up in Kotkhai Police Station.

CBI has already filed a chargesheet against all the nine accused in the case.

EARLIER, THE HC HAD SUMMONED CBI CHIEF ALOK KUMAR VERMA AND ASKED HIM TO APPEAR ON APRIL 18; NOW VERMA HAS TO APPEAR ON MAY 9