Murthal Gang-Rapes Did Happen During Jat Stir, Agencies Should Identify The Culprits: HC

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 4 said that gang-rapes had taken place in Murthal during the Jat quota agitation.

The court also pulled up the Haryana Government for seeking more time to ‘collect more facts’ in the case.

“Earlier there was reluctance on your part to even register an FIR. But now you have accepted that rape had taken place,’’ the division bench of Justice S S Saron and Justice Lisa Gill, the Bench observed.

“Let’s not deviate from the main path, which is identification of the victim and ensuring justice. This time, things had gone too far. We want result,’’ the Bench said.

The Division Bench observed, “There can be no doubt (of rape). Even they (Haryana) are not denying it.”

The bench asserted that it was now all about identifying the victim and accused.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the High Court that at this stage, it could not be said as to which way the investigation would lead to but there were some leads. Hence, the state be given more time, which was granted.

The court has also directed the government to produce the second part of the Prakash Singh Committee report in the next date of hearing.

Earlier, amicus curiae Anupam Gupta said he was not opposed to the grant of additional time to the special investigating agency.

Haryana had witnessed large-scale violence during the Jat agitation over reservation earlier this year. Several vehicles were torched, passengers were robbed and women were allegedly raped by the rioters in Murthal on National Highway-1 on the night of February 21.

The matter came to light after a section of media carried reports with accounts of eye-witnesses and the Punjab and Haryana High Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter. Initially, the Haryana government told the court that no incident of rape had happened, but later an FIR was registered based on the complaint of a victim.