Supreme Court to hear on April 24 plea seeking independent probe into killing of Atiq Ahmad, Ashraf

Satya Prakash

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New Delhi, April 18

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to take up on April 24 a PIL seeking an independent probe into the dramatic killings of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf on April 15 by three assailants in Prayagraj while under police custody.

Atiq (60) and Ashraf (49) — who were in handcuffs — were shot dead by three men posing as journalists when thetwo brothers were interacting with the media while being escorted by police personnel to a medical college in Prayagraj for a check-up on Saturday night.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud agreed to hear the matter on April 24 after petitioner advocate Vishal Tiwari mentioned it seeking urgent listing.

Tiwari has also sought setting up an independent expert committee to probe 183 encounters in Uttar Pradesh since 2017.

“In a democratic society, the police cannot be allowed to become a mode of delivering final justice or to become a punishing authority. The power of punishment is only vested in the Judiciary,” Tiwari submitted. Extra judicial killings or fake police encounters have no place under the law, he contended.

The dramatic murders of Atiq and Ashraf took place hours after the last rites of Ahmad’s son Asad, who along with one of his associates was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13.

Referring to Atiq’s killing, the PIL said “such actions by police are a severe threat to democracy and rule of law and lead to police state”.

When the police turn daredevils, then the entire rule of law collapses and generates fear in the mind of people against police which is very dangerous for democracy and this also results in further crime, the PIL stated.