The prime witness in Kathua rape case, Talib Hussain, on Tuesday sought protection from India's Supreme Court after claiming that he was beaten up in police custody, Times of India reported.

A petition in this regard was filed in New Delhi by Hussain's family. Upon his lawyer Sunil Fernandes' request for an urgent hearing, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices D Y Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee agreed to schedule a hearing for Wednesday.

Hussain has been at the forefront of a campaign seeking justice for an eight-year-old girl who was kidnapped, raped and murdered in the Kathua district of Indian-held Kashmir.

He was reportedly booked by the police when a relative filed a complaint against him alleging that she was attacked and raped by him whilst she was grazing her cattle in the forest.

In June, Hussain's wife had also filed a complaint alleging that he had tortured her and demanded dowry.

The activist believes this was done in an attempt to "malign him for raising his voice to seek justice for the Kathua rape and murder victim".

He was granted pre-arrest bail in that case by the Indian-held Kashmir High Court.