The Supreme Court Thursday rejected a British rape victim’s plea for transferring the hearing on the convict’s appeal from Jodhpur to Delhi but asked the Rajasthan government to provide security to her during her visit.
The apex court also ruled that the Rajasthan High Court bench, which granted bail to rape convict Parbat Singh alias Rana, will not hear his petition challenging his conviction and life sentence by the Udaipur fast track court. It said another bench would hear the appeal
A bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice T.S.Thakur dismissed the petition of Victim seeking transfer of appeal to the Delhi High Court.
“Why should it be transferred from Rajasthan High Court to Delhi High Court? You have no confidence in Rajasthan High Court?” the bench asked the counsel Vikram Chaudhary appearing for petitionor.
“We see no reason to transfer the case from Rajasthan to Delhi merely because petitioner (Parbat Singh) was granted bail by the high court,” it said.
When Chaudhary said that petitinor wanted to assist the counsel and had certain medical records which were not considered by the trial court, Justice Katju said: “You are not making any relevant point”.
As Chaudhary persisted with his plea for the transfer of the case on the grounds that the victim feared a threat to her personal safety and was “scared to go to Rajasthan”, the court said: “For her personal security, we will direct the state authorities to give her protection when she visits the state”.
At this, counsel for the Rajasthan government Minish Singhvi gave an undertaking that as and when Petitionor will visit Rajasthan for the case, she would be provided with security cover. He asked her to inform the state authorities about her travel plans three days before her arrival.
The bench also said that the appeal “be decided by a bench other than the one that granted the bail” to Parbat Singh.
Parbat Singh was convicted by the Udaipur court for raping a British lady, who was staying in his Pardeshi Guest House, on the intervening night of December 23-24, 2007. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Rajasthan High Court had July 29, 2008 suspended Parbat Singh’s sentence and released him on bail. However, the apex court, by its January 16, 2009 order, cancelled his bail and asked the Rajasthan government to arrest him.
