Kathua rape-murder: Lawyer Deepika Singh removed from case

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SC had ordered a daytoday hearing in the case, but Deepika had ‘no time’ to appear in the case. She has appeared just twice or thrice in the past five months. Complainant

PATHANKOT: Advocate Deepika Singh Rajawat, who was a counsel for the Kathua rape and murder victim’s family, would not assist the special public prosecutors in the case now as the complainant has withdrawn her power of attorney to fight the case on their behalf.

He filed an application before the Pathankot’s trial court judge Dr Tejwinder Singh on Wednesday for the same.

The complainant, through his counsel Mubeen Farookey, told the judge that the Supreme Court had ordered a day-to-day hearing in the case, but his counsel Deepika had “no time” to appear in the case.

“She has appeared just twice or thrice in the past five months, which may be due to the threats issued to her. This apprehension of hers are sufficient to drive me to withdraw my power of attorney from her to fight the case,” the complainant stated in his application.

The move, however, came as a surprise for the Jammu-based lawyer, who was instrumental in shifting the case from Kathua to Pathankot. Rajawat claimed that the news came as a total surprise to her.

She said the counsels and the special public prosecutors were handling the case “very effectively”.

“I never charged even a penny for the case, but wanted justice for the family and the victim,” she said.

“I am overworked with my cases in Jammu courts and it was difficult for me to appear in this case daily, because of my other commitments,” she added.

She was provided a security cover after she complained of receiving threats.

Rajawat, a human rights lawyer, had become the face of justice for the eight-year-old victim belonging to a nomadic community, who was raped and murdered in Kathua earlier this year.