Staff Reporter / New Delhi
In a significant direction, the Supreme Court on Friday ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district while also directing an enquiry into alleged negligence by two private hospitals.
The top court noted that the trial in the case had already commenced but took on record concerns raised by the victim’s family regarding the conduct of the public prosecutor and fear of an unfair trial.
“Petitioner has placed on record documents stating that the conduct of the public prosecutor is not above the mark and that the parents are in constant fear and apprehensive that there won’t be a fair and just trial,” the bench observed. At the same time, it clarified that it was not expressing any opinion on the allegations, including those against the private hospitals.
Acknowledging the “barbaric nature” of the offence and the parents’ dissatisfaction with the probe so far, the court directed the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police to constitute an SIT with a strong representation of women officers.
The team will include a woman officer of Inspector General (IG) rank, one woman Superintendent of Police (SP), and a woman Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).