'Shameful to summon 3-year old': Supreme Court slams Haryana Police for 'insensitive' handling of child rape case

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday came down heavily on the Haryana Police, calling its handling of a three-year-old rape case “shameful” and “insensitive,” and ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of women IPS officers to ensure a fair probe.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, directed the Haryana government to immediately notify the SIT and asked Gurugram Police to hand over all case records.

The court sharply criticised the police for diluting the charges in the FIR registered under the Pocso Act, noting that a more stringent provision appeared applicable.

It also censured a private hospital doctor for allegedly changing her version of the child’s statement, calling the conduct “shameful.”

Issuing show-cause notices to officials of Gurugram Police, the bench questioned why action should not be taken against them for a “shoddy” investigation. It also pulled up authorities for summoning the child to the police station instead of visiting her.

“Why cannot the police go to the victim’s house? Are they kings?” the court asked, underscoring the lack of a child-sensitive approach.

The bench further issued notice to the Child Welfare Committee in Gurugram, questioning why its members should not be removed, observing that their conduct had “compounded the victimisation.”

Noting that there was prima facie evidence of a serious offence under Section 6 of the Pocso Act, the court directed the Gurugram district judge to assign the case to a senior woman judicial officer in a designated Pocso court.

According to police, the child was allegedly sexually assaulted over nearly two months by two domestic workers and an accomplice at a residential society in Gurugram’s Sector 54. The case was registered on February 4 after the child disclosed the abuse to her mother.

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