The legal counsel representing the family of the eight-year-old, who was brutally raped and murdered in Kathua of Jammu and Kashmir state, has found words of encouragement and support from actress Emma Watson.

Deepika Singh Rajwat has been representing the family of the eight-year-old girl whose body was recovered from Rassana forest in Kathua on 17 January.

Emma Watson, who has been a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, took to Twitter to share an article with words “all power to Deepika Singh Rajwat”.

All power to Deepika Singh Rajawat ✊🏻https://t.co/sZzDVcIFNo — Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) May 3, 2018

The British actor who has actively dedicated her efforts towards the empowerment of young women, shared the article which brings attention to Rajawat’s confident and professional demeanour, as she is flanked by men.

Rajawat has been in defiance against her own colleagues in the Jammu Bar Association who allegedly warned her against taking up the case.

Rajawat has previously claimed that she fears for her life and that she had been threatened by colleagues, including those from the Jammu and Kashmir Bar Association.

However, a Bar Council of India (BCI) panel had rejected the allegations against lawyers of the Jammu Bar Association that they threatened the victim’s lawyer, Rajawat, and that they were preventing the police from filing chargesheet in the court.

The child from a minority nomadic community had disappeared from near her home in a village near Kathua in Jammu region on January 10. Her body was found in the same area on 17 January. She was reportedly held captive inside a temple and was sedated before being raped, tortured and murdered.

As many as nine accused, including a police head constable and two special police officers (SPOs) and a sub-inspector of police, were arrested in the case.

However, the trial in the case is currently on hold after the Supreme Court stayed proceedings until 7 May.

The apex court is hearing a plea filed by the Kathua rape and murder victim’s father, seeking that the trial be moved outside Jammu and Kashmir, while two of the accused in the case has urged the Supreme Court to transfer the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The Supreme Court will hear these requests on May 7.

Emma’s altruism

In February, actress Emma Watson donated a million pounds to a new fund that aims to provide support for those affected by sexual harassment.

She was among the first to speak out against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, who is facing accusations by numerous female stars of sexual harassment and rape.

Watson worked with him in 2011 when she starred in his film “My week with Marilyn”.

Watson, 27, who played Hermione Granger in the eight-film “Harry Potter” franchise from 2001 to 2011, is reportedly worth 39 million pounds according to last year’s Sunday Times Rich List.