Ensure Kathua girl s family has access to justice, SC tells lawyers

New delhi April 13 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday took suo motu notice of an incident of lawyers of Jammu and Kathua bar associations preventing a woman lawyer from appearing for the family of a rape victim.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud directed the members of both the associations to ensure that access of justice was not denied to the victim s family and that no obstruction is caused to them.

The court also issued notice to the Bar Council of India Jammu & Kashmir Bar Council Jammu Bar Association and Kathua District Bar Association seeking response as it was brought to its notice that lawyers did not allow the the filing of the chargesheet.

In January an eight-year-old girl went missing while grazing horses in Rassana forest in Jammu and Kashmir s Kathua district. A week later her body was recovered.

Investigations revealed she was held captive inside a temple and was sedated before being repeatedly raped and murdered.

--IANS
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