HC admits appeal in Kathua case

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 1

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today admitted for hearing appeal filed by four convicts in the Kathua rape and murder case. Taking up the matter, the Bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Harinder Singh Sidhu also directed that the recovery of fine imposed along with the jail sentence could remain suspended during the pendency of the appeal.

The Bench also fixed the case on July 5 for further hearing. The appeal has been filed by Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu, Deepak Khajuria alias Deepu, Anand Dutta and Surinder Kumar. While Parvesh Kumar and Deepak Khajuria have challenged the trial court order slapping sentence of life imprisonment on them, Anand Dutta and Surinder Kumar have challenged five years’ imprisonment sentence awarded to them on June 1.

An eight-year-old girl was raped and murdered in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. Talking up the case, the trial court held six of the seven accused guilty. The verdict came one-and-half-years after the incident.