Srinagar: A court here has directed Deputy Inspector General, Central Kashmir Range Srinagar, to replace a member of Special Investigation Team, probing the alleged dowry death of an engineer who jumped in Jhelum near Old Zaina Kadal Bridge and her body was recovered in Bandipora district of north Kashmir after 48 days.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar, Aijaz Ahmad Khan, also rejected bail application of Javeed Ahmad Bungree (engineer’s husband), his sister Nazima Shafi and their aunt Sabeena Majid, all residents of Illahibagh Buchpora in outskirts of Srinagar.
“During the course of arguments, counsel for the applicants (accused) submitted that one of the members of the SIT has made demand to the applicants for taking lenient view,” the CJM said. What was demanded, however, was not known.
“Be that as may be, but still it will be duty of the court to look into the aspect of the matter so that no finger is raised towards the investigation of the case. Investigation should always be in a fair and partial manner without causing prejudice to any of the parties. The purpose of the investigation is to unveil the truth without any word of suspicion,” the court said and accordingly directed, DIG CKR Srinagar to replace the member namely Mohammad Yaseen (SI) from Special Investigation Team which has been constituted in the case.
An FIR (29/2017) was registered in police station M.R Gunj. The police arrested three persons from her in-laws family including her husband and booked them under sections 304 RPC (dowry death), 498A RPC (cruelty and harassment to woman) and 120B RPC (criminal conspiracy).
Earlier the anticipatory bail of the trio was rejected by principal district and sessions on August 14 after the public prosecution sought their custody to conclude investigations.
The accused then approached Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar for regular bail and the same was rejected by the court, observing that same was premature.
Senior Prosecuting Officer Mohammad Saleem, assisted by prosecuting officer Sayed Nadeem Hussain argued that the accused persons were involved in heinous non-bailable offences and do not deserve concession of bail.
The accused had been pestering and demanding dowry from the deceased for a considerable period of time, the prosecution said and claimed they were responsible for the “suicide” of the woman. “The investigating is still going on that if the accused would be released on bail they may hamper and temper the investigation and hence they don’t deserve the bail,” they said. Naziya Shafi and Sabeena Majid are presently lodged in Women’s police station Rambagh
