Shopian case: J&K govt opposes bail plea of police officers

Jammu and Kashmir government today opposed in the Supreme Court the bail plea of the police officers arrested in connection with the alleged rape and murder of two women in Shopian district saying the investigations relating to it were not yet complete.

The state government, in its reply to the bail plea of Superintendent of Police Javed Iqbal Mattoo and Deputy SP Rohit Baskotra, said a Special Investigation Team was probing the case and there is likelihood of levelling other charges against the arrested them.

Till now, the four police officials have been booked only under section 201 of Indian Penal Code for the offence of destruction of evidence.

"The circumstances of the present case also suggest that certain officers of the police have acted in a manner which suggest that there was an effort to hush up rather than to investigate the crime," the counter affidavit filed by advocates Anis Suharwardy and Mehdi Imam for the state government said.
 
"The case is under investigation and no chargesheet has yet been filed. Hence, the accused persons cannot claim that they have been charged only under particular sections," it said.
 
The police officers have contended that they have been charged only under the bailable offence of destruction of evidence.