The division bench of the Supreme Court of India comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice KV Vishwanathan and Justice Sanjay Kumar on Wednesday said that the hearing of the income tax case will be held after a week, i.e. on Wednesday, January 29 at 2 pm. Abhaya’s parents had requested to present their views on the matter anew. The case was to be heard in the Supreme Court on Wednesday after accepting that request.

The case was to be heard in the division bench of the Chief Justice on Wednesday at No. 42. But in the end, the division bench of the Chief Justice has announced that the next hearing of the case will be held next Wednesday. It is pertinent to mention that the hearing of the income tax case was held in the Supreme Court on its own initiative in December last year. The court had then said that the case would be heard in the third week of June.

Meanwhile, last Monday, the lower court had sentenced Sanjay Roy, the convict in the income tax case, to life imprisonment. This verdict has raised questions in various quarters as to why the court did not consider the incident of rape as the “rarest of the rarest” crime. That is why neither party is happy with this verdict. However, after the hearing in the lower court, the state government has filed a case in the High Court seeking Sanjay’s hanging. The case is scheduled to be heard in the High Court next Monday.