Evidence shows Murthal gang-rape took place during Jat agitation, find culprits: Punjab and Haryana HC to police

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday said the statements of the witnesses and the recovery of women's undergarments showed that the gang-rape in Murthal during the Jat quota protests had taken place, reports the Times of India.

The HC observed that the two witnesses, including a taxi driver, said that the women were dragged out of his cab. This showed that rapes had taken place, the HC said..

The court stayed framing of charges in the rape case being heard in the trial court in Sonipat. It also asked the SIT to file an affidavit before the trial court to say that the charges were not dropped and the case was under investigation. 

The police had dropped the charges against the five held in the case as their DNA didn't match the samples from the undergarments.

The HC observation came after a senior advocate and amicus curiae in the case, Anupam Gupta, accused the SIT of being unprofessional and 'working in lack of good faith'. He also said that the SIT was working as a defence and tried to drop the charges. Gupta said that the SIT would have closed the case had the trial court judge not told HC about dropping of the charges.  He also asked the HC to give the case to the CBI. The CBI said that it was overburdened but will follow court orders.

The lawyer for the state government said that the SIT was probing the case.