Verdict in Rudraksh abduction and murder case deferred

The next date for hearing is February 26.

A local court in Kota on Saturday deferred the verdict in the Rudraksh abduction and murder case and set the next date for February 26.

Seven-year-old Rudraksh, a resident of Kota’s Punit Handa neighbourhood, was abducted from a park near his house in on 2014.(HT)

The special scheduled caste and scheduled tribe court, that was hearing the case, was expected to give its verdict, but deferred it following a strike called by the members of the Kota Bar Association over their demand of setting up a bench of the Rajasthan High Court in the city.

Seven-year-old Rudraksh, a resident of Kota’s Punit Handa neighbourhood, was abducted from a park near his house in on October 9, 2014.

The abductor had demanded a ransom of ₹ 2 crore from the boy’s parents for his release.

After the boy’s parents informed the Kota city police about the abduction, police recovered the body of the victim from a canal in Jakhmund in Bundi district the next day.

Police registered a case of and arrested the main accused Ankur Padia and his elder brother, Anoop from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh on October 27.

Police also arrested Padia’s servant Mahaveer Sharma for helping the accused while Karanjeet Singh, a resident of Delhi, was also arrested for selling a fake mobile SIM card to the accused.

In January 2015, Kota’s Jawahar Nagar police filed a chargesheet and the hearing of the case continued for more than three years, during which the statements and evidences were recorded by the court.