Kathua rape-murder case: Three get life term, 3 others sentenced to 5 years in jail

Three main convicts in the Kathua rape and murder case, including temple priest Sanjhi Ram, Deepak Khajuria and Pravesh Kumar have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The three policemen - Surender Verma, Anand Dutta and Tilak Raj  - who were also convicted in this case have been sentenced to five years in jail. 

Earlier on Monday, six of the seven accused in the brutal rape and murder case of an 8-year-old girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir were convicted by a special court in Pathankot, Punjab. One accused - Vishal, son of Sanjhi Ram - was let off by the court.

The closed-door hearing in the case was completed on June 3, during which district and sessions judge Tejvinder Singh had announced that the date of verdict. On Monday, the three accused mentioned above, as well Anand Dutta, Tilak Raj and Surender Verma were convicted under the Ranbir Penal Code. The six have been charged under sections which pertain to those dealing with kidnapping, rape as well as erasing evidence, among others.

It is to be noted that Zee News had previously accessed CCTV footage of an ATM in Muzzafarnagar in which Vishal was seen withdrawing money on the day and around the time investigative officers claimed he was in Kathua. "I would like to thank Zee News for accessing the ATM footage. We are grateful. We have always said my son is innocent. My husband too is innocent and it would be proven," said an emotional mother of Vishal.

As per the chargesheet filed by Jammu and Kashmir police, the girl was abducted on January 10, 2018 and held captive at a temple in a village in Kathua district. She was kept unconscious for almost four days, during which she was raped. Following the heinous act, the child was brutally murdered. The hearing in the case was conducted on a day-to-day basis in the district and sessions court in Pathankot in Punjab. The case was transferred to Pathankot on the orders of the Supreme Court.