Hyderabad encounter: SC gives 6 more months to panel to conclude probe

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 24

The Supreme Court on Friday gave six more months the time to Justice (Retd) VS Sirpurkar-led panel to conclude the inquiry into the encounter killing of four men accused of gang-raping and killing a veterinarian in Hyderabad in November last year.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde extended the deadline for completing the probe after the panel sought six additional months to submit its final report.

The Supreme Court had on December 12, 2019, appointed a three-member panel headed by former top court judge VS Sirpurkar to probe into the killing of four men accused of raping and murdering a veterinarian in Hyderabad by Telangana Police in an alleged fake encounter.

The other two members of the panel are former Bombay HC judge Rekha Prakash Baldota and former CBI chief DR Kartikeyan.

An objective investigation was necessary as people had right to know the truth, the CJI had said.

On November 27, 2019, 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, police said.