SC admits special leave petition acquitting rape, murder accused

The Supreme Court on Monday admitted a special leave petition (SLP) filed by the father of a girl, who was raped and murdered, challenging the Uttarakhand High Court judgment which had acquitted the accused in the case. A division bench of the top court comprising Justices N V Ramana and M Shantanagoudar issued a notice to Uttrakhand government and accused Deepak Arya after hearing the appeal filed by victim's father Naveen Ram through his lawyer Mukesh Kumar Giri.

In 2014, a local court in Nainital had handed over the accused death penalty after convicting him under Sections 376 (rape) and 302 (murder) and other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Later in the year, accused Deepak moved the Uttarakhand High Court and challenged the Sessions Court order. Following this, the High Court in 2015 acquitted Deepak after not finding sufficient evidence against him for the commission of the offence.

Naveen Ram, the father of the eight-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and murdered by Deepak on July 2012, had moved the apex court challenging the Uttrakhand HC order. "I want justice from the Supreme Court. My girl was raped and murdered. I want that Deepak should be brought to justice," Naveen told ANI.

"It cannot be that difference of judgment that the Uttarakhand lower court had sentenced Deepak to death and the High Court acquitted him," said Giri, who had appeared pro bono for the complainant, Naveen Ram, before the Supreme Court.

(With inputs from agencies.)