Overview
- A Madhya Pradesh High Court order has directed the Chhatarpur superintendent of police to form a Special Investigation Team to re‑examine the sequence of events in the alleged sexual assault at Bageshwar Dham.
- The State Forensic Science Laboratory in Sagar reported that the arrested man, Raju Jatav, is not the biological father of the foetus whose tissue and placenta were preserved after the pregnancy was terminated.
- The minor initially accused Jatav in statements to police and a magistrate but did not support the prosecution when she testified at the trial court, a contradiction the High Court highlighted.
- The court refused a second bail application for the accused and ordered the SIT to complete its enquiry within two months and take appropriate action based on its findings.
- Bageshwar Dham management has issued safety guidance asking women not to visit alone and warning it cannot guarantee security beyond temple‑managed areas while police carry out the fresh probe.