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Court Slams Police Over 2010 Schoolgirl Death Investigation
19 Feb
Summary
- HC transferred a 2010 accidental death probe to CBI.
- Post-mortem indicated sexual intercourse before death.
- Police ignored crucial post-mortem findings and clothes' absence.
The Bombay high court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over a probe into the 2010 death of a 13-year-old schoolgirl. The court noted significant oversights by police, who failed to adequately consider the post-mortem examination report.
This report indicated that the girl had been subjected to sexual intercourse within the 24 hours preceding her death. The high court highlighted that police relied on incomplete evidence, such as a partial video recording, and statements from doctors who had not reviewed the full post-mortem findings.
The court further pointed out that the absence of the victim's clothes was a crucial detail that warranted serious investigation. The bench expressed concern that the possibility of rape followed by murder was not explored at all, despite clear indications in the post-mortem report. The father of the deceased had petitioned in 2014 for the case to be transferred to the CBI.
Despite the passage of time making evidence retrieval difficult, the HC found sufficient grounds for the transfer. The court was critical of the initial investigation relying on an incomplete post-mortem video, stating that the opinions of the doctors who performed the examination were completely disregarded.
