New Delhi: The handling of the Haryana Police’s investigation into the rape of a four-year-old girl in a residential complex in Gurugram is an “eye-opener for the entire country”, the Supreme Court said on Monday, directing the trial court not to decide on the bail plea of the two domestic helpers and their male accomplice involved in the incident for another two weeks, by which time a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the matter is expected to complete its probe.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalia Bagchi said: “This case is an eye-opener for the entire country. We want the investigation to be completed smoothly. There are other cases that we will deal with later.”
On March 25, the court constituted a special investigation committee comprising senior women IPS officers, headed by IPS officer Kala Ramachandran, to investigate the alleged sexual assault, expressing shock at the “insensitivity” of the police and the manner in which the child was repeatedly subjected to trauma during the investigation. The Council also questioned the role of the Child Welfare Committee and suspended the police for trying to protect the accused.
After informing the Special Court that it needed an additional two weeks to obtain the results of forensic tests and record witness statements, the Court extended the time and ordered the Special Court to maintain maximum sensitivity while interacting with the child witness. She needs to interact with the victim, the SIT chief said.
“We don’t want any further psychological impact on the child,” she said, directing the AIIMS director to rule out a psychiatrist or child counselor to be present when the SIT meets the victim. “Have a cup of tea with the parents. Wear civilian clothes and no one should reveal their identity.”
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the victim’s parents, told the court that the trial was currently being conducted under less heinous crimes. He urged that until the special investigations are completed, the accused should not get bail.
The court held that “since the issues relating to the nature of the crime allegedly committed on the victim are yet to be determined prima facie by the SIT, the trial court is directed to defer the bail applications filed by the accused till the charge sheet is filed.”
