HC says Sonepat judge conducting trial being pressured

Punjab and Haryana High court on Tuesday said that a Sonepat judge conducting trial into an FIR registered by the Haryana Police to probe allegations of gangrapes during February 2016 Jat quota stir in Murthal, is being “pressurised”.

As the hearing in suo motu petition initiated into February 2016 violence began on Tuesday morning, the HC bench of justice SS Saron and justice Darshan Singh stunned all with the observations that the court had been told of trial court judge, Gagan Geet Kaur, additional district and sessions judge, Sonepat being “pressurised”.

The court did not name anybody nor elaborated on as to what was told to the judge. “Don’t pressurise that poor lady… This case has proven to be a disaster for that girl,” the bench said. Taken aback over the observation, additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta sought to know as to who was the person behind it and demanded that he should be called and taken to task.

“Nobody is above the law,” Mehta said, demanding that if not on the judicial side, the matter be taken up on the administrative side by the high court.

The special investigation team (SIT), headed by inspector general of police (IGP) Mamta Singh, had registered an FIR of gangrape in April 2016. The section of gangrape was added against five youths arrested in other quota violence related FIRs. However, in September 2016, gangrape charges were dropped against them. All five are now out on bail.

Gagan Geet Kaur, in her two reports submitted to the high court in 2016, had slammed the manner in which the probe was being conducted by SIT and had termed it “eyewash”. In her report, the additional district and sessions judge had stated that before the charges were to be framed against the accused.