Amost two months after they were arrested in the Shopian rape and double murder case, the four policemen — SP Javed Mattoo, Deputy SP Rohit Baskotra, SHO Shafeeq Ahmad and Sub-Inspector Gazi Abdul Karim — were granted bail by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday.

Reading only the operative part of the 41-page order, Justice Sunil Hali said the court had decided to release the four policemen as “no direct evidence” against them is available. The court order further stated that the policemen could enter Shopian only after obtaining permission from the SIT.

On Wednesday, the state government had handed over the probe to the CBI. The four policemen are suspected to have destroyed the evidence in the case.

Stating that the SIT probe so far had proceeded only on one track, the judge said the accused policemen could be arrested again if further evidence is found against them. The four policemen were asked to furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000 each.

Since no chargesheet had been filed in the case, the four policemen, who were arrested on July 15, were due for release on September 13, when they would have completed 60 days in custody. The SIT probing the case was unable to charge them with any direct link in the crime.

The counsels for the policemen built their case around the “patent lack of evidence”. Advocate Aseem Mehrotra argued that the cops’ imprisonment was illegal as the government had “no proof of their direct involvement in the crime”.

... contd.