Supreme Court orders 3-member judicial inquiry into Hyderabad encounter
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a judicial inquiry into the Hyderabad encounter, where four men, accused of allegedly raping and murdering a city veterinarian, were killed.
The top court said that there will be a three-member team to probe the case and no other court or authority shall inquire into this matter until further orders of the apex court. The commission will be headed by former Supreme Court judge VS Sirpurkar and the two others on the panel are former Bombay High Court judge Rekha Baldota and former CBI chief B Kartikeyan.
“We are of the considered view that an inquiry commission needs to be constituted. The inquiry to be completed in six months,” the SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, said on Thursday.
While hearing the encounter case, Chief Justice Bobde said, “We are of the view that there be an independent inquiry into the encounter.”
The SC bench was hearing two petitions seeking registration of FIR against cops and an independent probe into the matter.
The accused were killed in a police encounter, a week after the rape case was reported later in November. The veterinary doctor was allegedly raped and charred to death. Her body was dumped by the accused under a bridge on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
On December 6, the four of them were taken to the crime spot for re-construction of events as part of the investigation by the police. During the process, the police said that they tried to escape from the spot and also attacked the cops by trying to snatch their weapons. Thus, the cops, in self-defense, they opened fire on the accused.
While a section of the people heaped praises on the police, others, including some politicians, questioned the action taken by the police.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Cyberbad Police, told the top court that in the past, the SC has appointed retired judge but to oversee the investigation, a judge can’t conduct the investigation.
Chief Justice Bobde said, “If you say you’re going to prosecute them (policemen involved in encounter) in criminal court, there is nothing for us to do. But if you say they’re innocent then people must know truth. We don’t want to assume facts. Let there be inquiry, why are you resistant to that?”
