Kathua case: The rape and murder of an 8-year-old in Kathua had shocked the nation.

The father of an eight-year-old girl, who was raped and murdered in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district last year, moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday seeking enhancement of sentence imposed on six convicts and also challenging the acquittal of one accused.

The petitioner has requested the court to enhance the sentence of Sanji Ram, Deepak Khajuria and Parvesh Kumar from life imprisonment to capital punishment, his counsel Utsav Bains said.

"It is rarest of the rare case and as per the standards set by the Supreme Court, that case of rape and murder by a gang of a minor child comes under this category more so when the manner of committing crime exhibits complete insensitivity, cruelty, depravity and perversion," the petition stated.

The petitioner has also requested the court to enhance the sentence of three other convicts -- Surinder Kumar, Tilak Raj and Anand Dutta -- from five years in jail to life imprisonment.

Last month, a court in Pathankot had awarded life imprisonment to Sanji Ram, Deepak Khajuria, a special police officer and Parvesh Kumar for the rape and murder.

The trial court, while acquitting Vishal Jangotra, son of Sanji Ram, had sentenced three other men -- sub inspector Anand Dutta, head constable Tilak Raj and special police officer Surender Verma -- to five years in jail.

According to a chargesheet filed in April last year, the eight-year-old girl was kidnapped on January 10. She was kept her sedated for four days and was later bludgeoned to death.