Haryana on Friday admitted in the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the investigation has brought forth material that points towards sexual assault on women in Murthal during the Jat agitation earlier this year.
During the resumed hearing before the Division Bench of Justice SS Saron and Justice lisa Gil, counsel for Haryana, Additional Solicitor-General of India Tushar Mehta told the court that the semen found on the two women’s undergarments found from the spot have provided leads to the investigation that the sexual assault on women had taken place. He told the court that the undergarments seemed to be those of probable victims.
Keeping a room for chances, he said that it could not be confirmed that the undergarments were certainly connected to the criminal incidents. He said that the undergarments had been sent for forensic examination for ascertaining their connection with the incidents.
The counsel told the court that five people had been arrested in FIRs registered under the provisions of rape and other offences. The court was also told that the blood samples of the men arrested in the matter were being matched with the semen found on the clothes found near from the spot.
The court was also told that the Special investigation team has contacted commuters on the basis on call details of the people traveling on the highway. He told the court that people, who were contacted, had referred to the molestation but none had referred to the incidence of rape near Sukhdev Dhaba.
The court was also told about the unavailability of the CCTV footage of the entry and exit point to Sukhdev Dhaba. Referring to the audio conversation with an alleged victim’s mother, the counsel for the state told the court that the former web portal journalist was not cooperating in the investigation team and despite repeated requests, he had not provided the phone number of the cab driver, who had reportedly taken him to victim’s mother.
During the course of hearing, Amicus Curiae Anupam Gupta raised the issue of getting the documents of probe being conducted by the investigation team he also placed a Supreme Court judgment before the court, on providing the amicus with documents, including case diaries and statements recorded by the police under Section 161 of the CrPC.
Appreciating the improvement registered by the investigation agency, High Court granted time to the state to reply on the provisioning of the documents to Amicus, and asked the state to specify the action taken on the Parkash Singh Panel report, on the role of government officials during the Jat reservation protests early this year.
Adjourning the matter for September 1, the court has asked the state to file an affidavit on the proposed action on the Parkash Panel report.