NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today sought the AAP government's response on a plea seeking direction to restrain Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from "creating panic" in the minds of people through official advertisements related to the brutal stabbing of a 19-year-old girl.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath also sought reply from the Delhi Police Commissioner over the allegation that police took no action in the matter, even when the girl's parents had lodged a complaint in January 2013, which "emboldened the culprits who kept on harassing victim".
"Notice to the respondents (Delhi government and Delhi Police Commissioner). Reply be filed within four weeks. List it for September 15," it said.
The court notice was issued on a PIL filed by lawyer S N Singh, who also sought direction to hand over the investigation into the case to the CBI.
The petitioner sought that the victim's parents be rehabilitated and given a compensation of Rs 20 lakh.
He said that the direction be given to restrain the "Delhi government from creating panic in the mind of general public by propagating false information about the incident through official advertisements telecast on TV channels, newspapers, hoardings or in any manner".
The girl was stabbed to death on July 16 by two brothers after she objected to their verbal abuse in central Delhi's Anand Parbat area.
The incident took place when the girl was returning home from a market on the fateful fay. After being attacked, she ran to her house and her mother came out to rescue her, when the mother was also stabbed in the back by the accused.
Delhi government's standing counsel Raman Duggal, however, told the court that action has already been taken against the culprits and two of the accused has been arrested in the case, who are currently in judicial custody.
According to the plea, the victim's mother had lodged a written complaint to the Anand Parbat police station about the incident in which she had vividly described as to how she and her husband, a shoemaker, and her daughter were "abused in a vulgar language, humiliated, harassed, beaten and threatened with acid attacks".
"The Delhi Police has connived in the crime. No proper FIR has been registered till date. The police took advantage of illiteracy of the victim's mother and wrote whatever they wanted to suppress and twist the facts to save two of the offenders," the plea claimed.
Had the police taken timely action on the complaint made in 2013, the crime could have been averted, it added.
The autopsy report of the girl revealed only four stab injuries on her lower body and thigh, and not 32 knife wounds as was claimed earlier, it said.
In a radio advertisement, the Delhi government said the girl was stabbed 32 times.
"A few days ago, a girl was stabbed 32 times in broad daylight... She was eve-teased. I went to meet her family. I met the people in the area too. They said they are afraid. The Delhi Police cannot be seen in the field. Law and order situation has deteriorated," Kejriwal had said in the ad.