Jammu Courts in Kishtwar and Budgam have rejected the bail applications of four accused in two cases involving alleged offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, following objections by the prosecution.
In the Chatroo case involving the death of a minor girl, Principal Sessions Judge Kishtwar Sudhir Kumar Khajuria on October 10 dismissed the bail applications of Sonika Parihar, Zareena Begum and Peer Baksh Bumal.
The case is registered as FIR No. 27/2026 at Police Station SCW, Crime Branch, Jammu, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the POCSO Act, 2012, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Public Prosecutor Anshuman Dubay, assisted by advocate Irfan Khan, who represented the victim, opposed the bail applications, citing the gravity of the allegations, the ongoing investigation and the possibility of witnesses being influenced. The prosecution also informed the court that DNA and forensic science laboratory reports were awaited.
According to the Prosecution Department, the court observed that the investigation was continuing and that the stage of proceedings did not warrant detailed scrutiny of the evidence. The prosecution also raised issues concerning statutory notice to the victim’s family and compliance with applicable disclosure requirements. Medical grounds cited by an applicant were opposed on the basis that appropriate care was available in custody.
In a separate case, Principal Sessions Judge Budgam O.P. Bhagat rejected the bail application of Bilal Ahmad Bhat on October 8.
Bhat is accused in FIR No. 75/2026, registered at Police Station Beerwah under Section 137(2) of the BNS and Sections 3 and 4 of the POCSO Act.
Public Prosecutor Suhaib Ashraf opposed the application, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the risk of evidence tampering. The prosecution said the court held that the interests of the victim’s family and the public outweighed the grounds advanced for bail, adding that delays in recording witness statements did not, by themselves, justify bail in a POCSO case.
The J&K Prosecution Department said the four bail applications had been rejected on October 8 and 10, and reiterated its commitment to child protection and evidence-based prosecution. The rejection of bail applications does not, by itself, establish the guilt of the accused.
