The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition by one of the accused in the Kathua case seeking a new investigation, PTI reported. He alleged that the inquiries conducted earlier were biased.

Justices UU Lalit and DY Chandrachud also dismissed a separate plea filed by two other accused seeking to transfer the investigation to an independent agency. They, however, said both the petitions can be placed in the trial court in the city of Pathankot in Punjab that is hearing the case.

The accused murdered and allegedly raped an eight-year-old in Kathua in January. Her body was found near Kathua on January 17. According to a supplementary chargesheet that the crime branch filed on July 30, the eight accused in the case had overdosed the girl with sedatives, including cannabis, throughout her captivity, “rendering her incapacitated” to resist the alleged sexual assault and murder.

The police have arrested Sanji Ram, the custodian of a temple where the girl was allegedly confined, his son Vishal and his juvenile nephew, special police officers Deepak Khajuria and Surender Verma and friend Parvesh Kumar alias Mannu.