HC directs CBI to file a fresh report

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 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, the CBI had announced a reward of ₹10 lakh for providing credible information about the accused.

On July 4, a Class 10 girl went missing, whose body was recovered on July 6 from Halaila forest in Kotkhai of Shimla district. Medical reports confirmed rape. An SIT, headed by the-then inspector general (IG) southern range S Zahur Zaidi, was set up to probe the case.

On July 12, the SIT had detained six youth, including a Nepalese labourer, and the next day announced solving the case.

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