Kathua rape case: SC to resume hearing

The Supreme Court on Thursday will resume hearing the case of alleged rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl belonging to Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua area.


The minor girl, who belonged to a nomadic Muslim tribe, was allegedly abducted, drugged, gang-raped, tortured and killed in January.In the wake of the incident, President Ram Nath Kovind, on April 22, promulgated the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, for effective deterrence against the commission of rape.


The ordinance seeks the death penalty for the rapists of girls below 12 years of age and stringent punishment for perpetrators of rape particularly of girls below 16 years, thereby strengthening the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.On Tuesday, the Kathua Chief Judicial Magistrate rejected the bail application of the juvenile accused in the rape and murder of the aforementioned eight-year-old. -- ANI