Archive · 7 Oct 2026
Madhya Pradesh High Court Orders SIT Probe After DNA Mismatch
A 16-year-old girl was found to be pregnant during an investigation into an alleged assault at Bageshwar Dham.
She initially accused Raju Jatav, but later told the trial court that he had not raped her.
A forensic test also showed that Jatav was not the foetus’s biological father.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court said police should investigate what happened and try to find the biological father.
It ordered Chhatarpur’s police chief to create a special team and finish the investigation within two months.
The court did not grant Jatav bail.
Separately, the temple management gave women visitors safety advice.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court directed Chhatarpur’s Superintendent of Police to form a Special Investigation Team in the case involving a 16-year-old girl at Bageshwar Dham.
The girl initially accused Raju Jatav of rape but later did not support the prosecution’s allegation and denied he had raped her during trial testimony.
A forensic report from the State Forensic Science Laboratory, Sagar, found Jatav was not the biological father of the foetus.
The court rejected Jatav’s second bail application and ordered the SIT to investigate the circumstances and seek to identify the foetus’s biological father within two months.
Separately, Bageshwar Dham’s management advised women visitors not to come alone, trust strangers or sevadars blindly, leave the temple premises and hall, or stay unnecessarily long.
- Who
- The Madhya Pradesh High Court, Raju Jatav, the 16-year-old girl, and Chhatarpur police.
- What
- The court ordered a Special Investigation Team to investigate the alleged assault and identify the foetus’s biological father, while rejecting Jatav’s second bail application.
- When
- The investigation must be completed within two months; the forensic report was dated August 29, 2026.
- Where
- The alleged assault was reported in the Bageshwar Dham area of Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- The forensic report excluded Jatav as the biological father, and the girl later did not support the prosecution’s allegation in her trial testimony.
Initial Allegation
Later Testimony and Forensic Finding
Account of the alleged assault
Initial Allegation
The prosecution case recorded in the court order says the girl initially alleged that Jatav forcibly raped her at Bageshwar Dham.
Later Testimony and Forensic Finding
At trial, the girl did not support the prosecution’s version and denied that Jatav had raped her.
Forensic evidence and bail
Initial Allegation
The court said the available material indicated the minor had been subjected to sexual harassment and declined to treat the forensic finding as sufficient grounds for bail.
Later Testimony and Forensic Finding
The forensic report excluded Jatav as the biological father, so the court ordered police to investigate the circumstances and seek to identify the biological father.
- Court
- Madhya Pradesh High Court, Principal Bench at Jabalpur
- Judge
- Justice Ajay Kumar Nirankari
- Accused
- Raju Jatav
- Forensic finding
- The State Forensic Science Laboratory, Sagar, found Jatav was not the biological father of the foetus.
- SIT directive
- The Chhatarpur Superintendent of Police was directed to constitute a Special Investigation Team.
- Deadline
- The detailed investigation must be completed within two months.
- Bail decision
- The High Court rejected Jatav’s second bail application.
- Temple advisory
- Women were advised not to visit alone, trust strangers or sevadars blindly, go beyond the temple premises and hall, or stay unnecessarily long.
