SC-LD GANGRAPE 2 LAST

The man, whose wife and daughter were gangraped last The man, whose wife and daughter were gangraped lastmonth on a highway in Bulandshahr, had on August 13 moved theapex court seeking transfer of the case to Delhi, besideslodging of an FIR against Khan as well as several policemen. The Allahabad High Court had ordered CBI probe into theincident besides deciding to monitor the investigation. In the plea filed in the apex court, the victim’s fathersought an order for transferring the trial of the case toDelhi "in the interest of justice". Unhappy with the UP police, the petitioner said the probeshould be conducted by "some other competent agency". Referring to Khan’s alleged controversial remark thatthere was a "political conspiracy" in gangrape, the plea saidan FIR be registered against him as his statement"substantially outrages" the "modesty" of the victims andtheir family. The plea sought "appropriate damages" for the victimsbesides a direction that the state and others, including theDGP, be stopped from infringing on the fundamental right tolife of the victims. "Direct the respondents (State Home Secretary, Khan, DGPand SSP of Bulandshahr) to pay the appropriate damages to thepetitioner as per law," the plea said. The plea alleged that the police did not come for helpdespite the victims making several distress calls on thehelpline number. "The victim dialed 100 number after the incident to seekhelp from police but it did not help at all," it said, adding"direct registration of an FIR against erring police officialsfor disobeying directions of law in the present case." The plea said, "Azam Khan called a press conference andpublicly insulted petitioner by terming the entire incident asa political conspiracy only and nothing else and therebycaused various acts and deeds being substantially outrageousto the modesty of the petitioner." It said that six members of the family were travellingfrom Noida to Shahjahanpur on national highway-91 when theywere waylaid, assaulted and robbed. The offenders, who were hiding behind the bushes, emergedand took the family at gunpoint and forced the father of thevictim to take the vehicle off the road, it said. The mother-daughter duo were ravished barely 100 metersaway from the police post, it said, adding that the offenderssnatched cash to the tune of Rs 36,000 and some jewellery fromthe victims. PTI SJK MNL RKSARC