The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed three college students, who are friends of a key accused in the sensational Kathua gang rape and murder case and have been made witnesses, to be accompanied by their relatives during their further questioning by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
The top court, which rejected the plea for videography in the quizzing of the three witnesses by the Crime Branch, asked the police to carry out the probe in “fair manner”.
“We hope and trust the state shall carry investigation in a most fair manner without pressurising the witnesses.
“A relative of each of the witnesses shall be allowed to accompany him, but the said relative shall not enter the investigation room. However, he shall remain at a reasonably visible distance,” a Bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, said. The Bench made it clear that it should not “remotely be inferred (from its order) that there is any kind of harassment by the investigating agency”.