Kathua Rape-Murder Case : Supreme Court Orders Accused Shubam Sangra to be Tried as Adult

The Supreme Court set aside the orders given by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kathua and Jammu and Kashmir High Court which held that one of the accused in the Kathua rape-murder case was a juvenile.

The Apex Court has directed that the accused Shubham Sangra should be tried as an adult. 

A bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and Justice JB Pardiwala allowed the appeal filed by the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir against the orders of the CJM and the High Court.

"It is held that the respondent accused was not a juvenile at the time of the commission of the offence and should be tried the way other co-accused were tried in accordance with law", Justice Pardiwala read out the operative portion of the order.

The case relates to the brutal gang-rape and murder of an eight year old girl in Kathua village in 2019. In June 2019, a Special Court at Pathankot had sentenced three men to life imprisonment in the case. The Court also sentenced three police officers to 5 years imprisonment for causing destruction of evidence. The trial of Shubham Sangra was shifted to the Juvenile Justice Board. Shubham Sangra was the nephew of main accused Sanji Ram, who was the caretaker of the temple where the offence took place.