The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to take over the probe into the unnatural death of a 13-year-old girl found hanging near her home in Jammu last year, directing the agency to report progress to the chief judicial magistrate within three months of starting the investigation.
The order was passed by Justice Rahul Bharti while disposing of a writ petition filed by the girl’s father, Mukhtyar Ali, a resident of Jandyal village in Bhalwal tehsil of Jammu. Ali had approached the court in October 2024, expressing doubts over the initial police inquiry and alleging that his daughter may have been raped and murdered. He sought transfer of the case to the crime branch.
The minor was found hanging from a tree close to her residence on August 15, 2024, triggering serious concerns within the family over the circumstances of her death.
In its three-page order, the court directed the CBI to first carry out a preliminary verification and then proceed with a full-fledged investigation strictly in accordance with the CBI Manual and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). To ensure accountability, the court ordered that the CBI must keep the chief judicial magistrate, Jammu informed of the status of the inquiry or investigation within three months of its commencement, allowing for judicial monitoring and preventing any lapse in the probe.
The directions came after the personal appearance of SSP, CBI Jammu, Venkateswarlu Chandu, along with the Deputy Superintendent of Police and Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Akhnoor, Virender Gupta, and the enquiry officer before the court on December 18.
The high court has also laid down a clear timeline for the transfer of records. The SDPO concerned has been directed to hand over the entire enquiry record to the CBI after translating all documents written in Urdu script into Hindi or English by January 18. The translated records are to be formally delivered to the investigating agency the following day.
Additionally, the Gharota police station in Jammu has been instructed to extend full cooperation to the CBI during the course of the investigation.
