Two PILs filed in SC for probe into killing of four Hyderabad rape accused

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 7

A day after Telangana Police killed four men accused of rape and murder of a veterinary doctor in Hyderabad, two Public Interest Litigations were filed in the Supreme Court on Saturday seeking an independent probe into the alleged fake encounter.

While the first petition has been filed by GS Mani and Pradeep Kumar Yadav the second one is by advocate ML Sharma. The petitioners demanded registration of an FIR against the police personnel who killed the four people accused.

The filing of these petitions came on a day when Chief Justice of India SA Bobde disapproved of the encounter and sought to underline the distinction between justice and revenge.

“But I don’t think justice can ever be, or ought to be, instant, and justice must never ever take the form of revenge. I believe justice loses its character of justice if it becomes revenge,” Justice Bobde reportedly said in Jodhpur.

The petitions are likely to be mentioned before a Bench headed by the CJI on Monday for urgent hearing.

The petitioners made the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Telangana, Commissioner of Cyberabad Police as respondents. They demanded that the police officials involved in the encounter killing should be probed by the CBI or an SIT.

They submitted that an independent probe agency must be directed to act in accordance with the 16 guidelines laid down by the top court in PUCL v State of Maharashtra for fake encounter cases.

On November 27 the veterinarian was raped around midnight on near Outer Ring Road at Shamshabad on the outskirt of Hyderabad. They later carried the body to Chatanpally near Shadnagar town and set her afire.

Police arrested lorry drivers Mohammed Pasha alias Arif (26), Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu and lorry cleaners Jollu Shiva and Jollu Naveen (all aged 20) two days after the incident.

Police claimed the accused attacked policemen when taken to Chatanpally to recover the victim’s mobile phone and reconstruct the crime scene. Two of the accused allegedly snatched weapons from policemen and opened fire. All four were killed after police returned the fire. 

The Telangana High Court has already taken cognizance of the encounter and directed that post-mortem be video recorded and the dead bodies should be preserved till Monday. The National Human Rights Commission too has ordered an inquiry.