Supreme Court orders 3-member judicial inquiry into Hyderabad encounter

The panel has been given six months to complete the investigation.

“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. 

“There must be unbiased inquiry of the encounter of the four accused,” the top court further said.

The bench was hearing two petitions seeking registration of FIR against cops and an independent probe into the matter.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also issued a notice on the petition to restrain media from publishing proceedings before the commission.

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?”