Ranchi/Hazaribag, March 30 The Jharkhand High Court took suo motu cognizance of the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Bishnugarh, Hazaribag, on Monday.
The court also served a notice to the state administration and the director general of police in this regard, according to a lawyer.
A division bench of Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Sanjay Prasad took note of the incident based on media reports.
The girl had gone with her mother to watch the 'Mangla' procession, a rally organized as part of Ram Navami rituals, at her native village in Kusumba within the Bishnugarh police station limits on the night of March 24.
Her family alleged in the FIR that she was abducted, and her body was found on March 25 at a field in the village.
Jharkhand DGP Tadasha Mishra had on Sunday said a three-member SIT has been constituted for a swift investigation into the case.
The SIT is mandated to submit a progress report, along with details regarding the actions taken thus far, within a week.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP is observing a 12-hour bandh in Hazaribag to protest against the incident.
No untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the district until 2 pm, officials said.
Members of the Jharkhand BJP women's wing also staged a demonstration in Ranchi, seeking justice for the girl.
"Law and order has deteriorated in the state, and women's safety is at risk," alleged Seema Singh, the general secretary of the wing.