Refusing to hear the bail application of Ashish Chauhan, one of the accused in Kotkhai gang rape, High Court of Himachal Pradesh on Monday said that the bail application of the accused cannot be heard before the CBI files its next status report on the investigation in Kotkhai gang rape.
Snubbing the accused for trying to expedite the hearing of his bail application, Justice Sandeep Sharma questioned the hurry being shown by the accused.
Ashish Chauhan, one of the six accused arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Himachal Pradesh police, was the first accused in the case to have filed a bail application. His bail application was first listed before the bench of Justice Chander Bhushan Barowali on August 22. Justice Barowali had recused himself from taking up this bail application.
The bail application was again listed before the first Division Bench of High Court but not heard. As the application was listed for hearing for the third time on Monday, the Bench of Justice Sandeep Sharma made it clear that the application would be heard only after the CBI files its report on investigation. CBI on the day of first hearing of the application had opposed it.
Kotkhai gang rape case, in which a 16 year girl was brutally gang raped and murdered after kidnapping had shocked the entire hill State and led to State-wide protests by the people. Before CBI, the SIT of Himachal Pradesh police had investigated the matter and arrested six people, but one of the accused arrested by SIT was allegedly murdered by his jail mate in police custody.
The CBI is to file the next report on its investigation on August 31 as High Court had ordered CBI to conclude the investigation by the next date.