New Delhi: The three accused in the gruesome murder of two teenage Dalit sisters in Uttar Pradesh that caused nationwide outrage have been granted bail.
The decision comes after the CBI decided not file chargesheet against the five accused in the Badaun rape-cum-murder case within the 90 days limit.
“CBI is not filing chargesheet against the five accused persons, at this stage. However, we have not given clean chit to anyone and further investigation is on,” CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said.
Sources said that the decision is based on the report from the medical board which has conclued that sexual assault “looked unlikely.”
The killings in May in most populous state Uttar Pradesh shocked the world and stoked political tension between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state officials over the investigation of the case.
Initial inquiries had suggested the two cousins, aged 14 and 15, and belonging to a low-caste community, were raped before being hanged from a mango tree, highlighting a breakdown in law and order in the state.
In a speech this month, Modi said India was shamed by increasing reports of sexual violence against women and girls.
The number of rapes reported rose 35.2 percent to 33,707 in 2013, with about a tenth of those reported in Uttar Pradesh, data from the National Crime Records Bureau showed.
