Justice Denied: Kathua Case Convictions Upheld by High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled against granting any concession of sentence suspension to Sanji Ram, a principal figure in the heinous 2018 Kathua rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl. Ram's plea was thus rejected on grounds of insufficient merit at this stage.

Sanji Ram, formerly a caretaker of a local temple where the crime occurred, alongside his nephew Parvesh Kumar and police officer Deepak Khajuria, had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Pathankot sessions court the following year. The High Court, however, agreed to schedule a hearing for his main appeal in September, noting his significant custodial time.

This case, which caught nationwide attention, was taken over by the Jammu and Kashmir crime branch. It unveiled the brutal conspiracy against the young victim, leading to the trial’s shift to Pathankot under Supreme Court orders to ensure justice.