HC adjourns Murthal gang-rape case till March 16

Chandigarh (Haryana): The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday adjourned Murthal gangrape case till March 16. Earlier, the court had granted bail to Bhanu Partap, one of the five accused in a FIR registered at Murthal in Sonepat district on March 30 last year during the Jat agitation against whom charges of gang rape could not be proved.

The order came from Justice Rekha Mittal after the petitioner`s counsel submitted that following forensic science laboratory`s negative DNA report against the five accused. Section 376-D of the IPC (gang rape) was dropped against them.

The court was informed that the DNA report of clothes found scattered at the scene of crime was laced with semen but did not match with the samples of the five accused. An FIR in the case was registered on March 30 last year at the Murthal police station.