Updated 32 minutes ago
The commission appointed to probe into the December 2019 rape of four people arrested in Hyderabad on suspicion of being shot dead in an encounter was a sham operation.
The apex court on Friday recorded the commission’s report. The apex court rejected a request by senior advocate Shyam Diwan on behalf of the Telangana government to keep the report in a sealed envelope. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, N.V. Ramana ordered a session comprising Justices Suryakant Sharma and Hima Kohli.
The apex court said, “The Telangana High Court should decide on the next course of action in this matter on the basis of the report and the request made by the petitioners concerned.”
Speaking earlier in the commission’s case, the judges said, “This is an encounter case. There is nothing to put here. The commission has found some people guilty. We want to send the matter to the high court.”
In their order, they said, “The case should be sent back to the High Court. We cannot monitor this case. A detailed report has been submitted. The question is what appropriate action should be taken on it. They have made some recommendations. Therefore, the Commission should provide a copy of their report to both parties involved in the case.” We order the Secretariat, “the judges said.
Recommendations of the Commission
The commission, appointed by a court-appointed judge in the case, said in a statement that “four people killed in a police encounter in Hyderabad, Telangana, have been charged with rape and murder. They were shot with intent to kill. Three of the four shot were minors.”
Meanwhile, police said the three killed were ‘about 20 years old’.
Pointing to apparent shortcomings in the investigation of the case, the commission recommended that 10 policemen be charged with murder. Our opinion. ”
Four of the accused were killed in a police encounter
Mohammad Arif, Sindhakunda Chennakesavulu, Jolu Siva and Jolu Naveen were arrested in connection with the November 2019 gang rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinarian.
Four of the accused were shot dead on National Highway 44 near Hyderabad – the same veterinarian’s burnt body was found a few days ago.
Also, the encounter occurred around 6:30 a.m. when the suspects were caught and taken away to describe the crime scene as part of their investigation.
What action will be taken against 10 policemen?
‘Just as mob violence cannot accept murder, so too immediate justice cannot be accepted. The rule of law must prevail at any time. The punishment for the crime should be only in accordance with the procedure established by law, ‘the commission said in a statement.
The main recommendation registered by the Commission is to take action against the policemen involved in the incident. Its description:
A) Sheikh Lal Mother, Mohammad Sirajuddin and Kocherla Ravi will be tried for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.
Mohammad Sirajuddin, Kocherla Ravi, K. Venkateswaralu, S. Arvind Gowd, d. Janagram, R. Balu Rathod and D. Srikanth is being prosecuted under Section 302 r / w 34 IPC, 201 r / w 302. The different acts committed by each of them were done with the general intention of killing the dead suspects. The commission said in a statement that it was the responsibility of the police to keep the accused safe.
Commission extended three times
Where the Encounter was held in 2019
Previously, the Supreme Court had set up the Chirpurgarh Commission on December 12, 2019 to inquire into the circumstances that led to the encounter and to file its report within six months.
On August 3 last year, the apex court gave the commission six months to file a final report on the encounter of the four accused in the case.
The commission comprises Mumbai High Court Judge Rekha Sonthur Baldota and former CBI Director DR Karthikeyan.
The term of this inquiry committee was extended for six months for the first time in July 2020. Extended three times until now.
When the commission was appointed, the apex court imposed an interim stay on the pending proceedings of the Telangana High Court and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the same issue. The apex court had directed the Special Investigation Commission to submit a report on the matter pending before the Commission and that no other body should inquire into the matter.
The apex court had said that the commission should be given protection by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and that the six-month deadline for filing the commission report would start from the first day of the inquiry.
It ordered that the committee sit in Hyderabad and that the Telangana government bear all the expenses, including staff for its secretariat. It also directed the state government to provide all necessary assistance to the commission.
Two petitions were filed in the Supreme Court by advocates GS Mani and Pradeep Kumar Yadav and another by advocate ML Sharma seeking an independent inquiry against the police officers accused in the case.
Prosecutors Mani and Yadav had filed a welfare petition alleging that the encounter in Telangana was “fake” and that a case should be registered against the police officers involved in the incident.
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