SC to hear plea on killing of 4 Hyd accused on Dec 11

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a plea for an independent probe into the “fake encounter” killing of four accused in the rape and murder case of a veterinary doctor in Hyderabad on December 11.

Petitioner advocate G S Mani mentioned the matter before a bench presided by Chief Justice S A Bobde for urgent hearing.

The top court initially pointed out that the Telangana HC had already admitted a petition for consideration in that regard.

The counsel, for his part, said that the HC had just ordered to preserve the bodies of the deceased accused.

The court then agreed to hear the petition on Wednesday.

Two advocates had approached the Supreme Court on Saturday, seeking a direction to conduct an independent probe into the matter.

Maintaining that no one, including the police, had the right to punish any accused without due process of law, advocates Mani and Pradeep Kumar Yadav contended that if these types of activities were allowed, there would be no meaning of civilized societies and there would be no hope of us being governed by the rule of law.

In the PIL filed jointly, the petitioners sought a probe, either by the CBI or the Special Investigation Team, against the police officers, including V C Sajjanar, IPS, Cyberabad police commissioner, who had “killed the four accused in the early morning hours only to satisfy the larger public anguish or might have killed them to protect the real culprit”.

The petitioners alleged such a fake encounter killing was conducted only to divert the public reaction over sensational gang rape and murder cases against innocent young girls.

“This is very serious and painful. It is not only impermissible under the rule of law but such fake encounter killing amounts to pre-planned murders at the hands of police official with the help of public support,” they said.

The advocate-petitioner said it was only due to the utter failure of the local police on November 28, 2019, that the victim, a veterinarian doctor, was raped and murdered in Telangana.

“There is a clear chance of destroying the evidence available against the police officers, involved in the fake encounter killing, therefore, the court may restrain them from respective official duties, till the disposal of the this case and till the completion of the independent investigation,” they said, seeking hearing on the PIL on an urgent basis.