Punjab HC denies bail to murder, rape, robbery accused, terming his acts as ‘sheer disregard to life and dignity’

The petitioner had sought bail on the pretext that pre-trial incarceration of the accused would cause an irreversible injustice to him and his family

The court said that “the accused butchered, injured members of a family and committed rape with females, adjacent to the bodies of their kin lying in a pool of blood”. Image for representation purpose only. | Photo Credit: Pixabay

The Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed the bail plea of an accused in the 2016 double murder, rape and robbery case in Haryana’s Nuh district.

It said that “the accused butchered, injured members of a family and committed rape with females, adjacent to the bodies of their kin lying in a pool of blood,” which was an act of “sheer disregard to life and dignity.”

The incident “barbarous double murder, rape, and robbery” pertains to August 25, 2016, which took place on the occasion of Eid at Dingerhadi village in Nuh. Following the investigation conducted by the Haryana Police, four accused, namely, Sandeep, Amarjeet, Karamjeet, and Rahul Verma were arrested. After that, the Haryana government transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on November 23, 2016. 

The CBI through its report on January 24, 2018 charge sheeted another four accused who are stated to be members of the notorious “Bawaria Group” (Axle gang). The CBI further found involvement of other accused namely Amit Yadav alias Sonu Yadav – the present petitioner, besides Tej Pal and Ravinder. The investigator found the role of the present petitioner for committing the robbery, and murder of Ibrahim and Rashidan, causing injuries to Jafru, his wife Ayesha, Parvej, and Naved, and raping one victim aged 20 years and another victim aged 14 years.

Dismissing the bail application, Justice Anoop Chitkara his recently passed order, said “There is sufficient evidence pointing towards petitioner’s involvement in the gruesome and horrible act, done with abominable cruelty. Acting with sheer disregard to life and dignity, the accused butchered, injured members of a family and committed rape with females, one of whom was a child aged 14, adjacent to the bodies of their kin lying in a pool of blood. The oral testimony of the rape victim and injured member explicitly connects the present petitioner to the occurrence.”

The order added “Further, evidence collected in the investigation by CBI at this stage is not such that his complicity and collusion can be negated at the face of it. The petitioner, therefore, does not make out a case for bail.”

The petitioner had sought bail on the pretext that pre-trial incarceration of the accused would cause an irreversible injustice to him and his family.