Supreme Court stays Kathua rape, murder case trial till May 7

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the trial in the gangrape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir and asked the accused to respond to a plea for hearings be transferred to Chandigarh.

Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra stayed trial which was listed for hearing in a court in Kathua town Saturday. The top court said it would hear on May 7 the plea for transfer of trial.

The Jammu and Kashmir



government opposes the transfer of trial saying that it had a different penal code and transfer of trial would pose inconvenience to the witnesses.

Meanwhile, the Centre on Friday told the top court that it would extend whatever assistance was required from it.

The Centre is a respondent in a related petition seeking transfer of investigation from the Jammu and Kashmir Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation, a plea opposed by the murdered girl ‘s father.