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The Shopian district and sessions courtrejected the bail application of the four police officers accused of 'destruction of evidence and dereliction of duty' in the infamous Shopian rape and murder case,on Thursday.
The officers had moved the bail application in the court on July 25, after the apex court passed an order a day earlier and observed that 'the petitioners would be at liberty to move the bail application before the Shopian sessions court '.
Sessions judge, Syed Tauqeer Ahmad while rejecting the bail application of the four officers Thursday said that 'since the investigation was on, bail cannot be granted at this stage.'
Earlier the state high court had directed that no lower court would entertain any bail application of the four accused officers and the same may be referred to it for a decision.However, the apex court set aside the order.
The four officers, Javed Iqbal Mattoo, the then district police chief of Shopian, deputy superintendent of police, Rohit Baskotra, Station House Officer Shafeeq Ahmad, and sub-inspector Qazi Abdul Karim were arrested by the special investigation team probing the rape and murder of 17-year Asiya Jan and her 22-year old sister-in-law Neelofar Jan on May 30.
The rape and murder of the duo triggered violent valley wide protests forcing the government to order a judicial probe. The four police officers were arrested on July 15, following a high court direction and their blood samples were collected for DNA profiling on July 19. The results of the blood samples sent to central forensic science laboratory have not been yet received.