Police personnel in the course of the funeral of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf, who had been shot useless by three assailants, in Prayagraj, Sunday, April 16, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
A day after gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf had been shot useless underneath police escort, a plea was filed in the Supreme Court on Sunday, April 16, 2023, looking for the structure of an independent expert committee headed by a former apex court docket decide to probe the killings.
The plea, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, additionally sought an inquiry into the 183 encounters which have taken place in Uttar Pradesh since 2017.
Read Editorial: Murder of legislation and order:
Ahmad (60) and Ashraf, who had been in handcuffs, had been shot useless by three males posing as journalists once they had been answering reporters’ queries whereas being escorted by police personnel to a medical school in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj for a checkup on April 15 night time.
Just hours earlier than the capturing, the final rites of Ahmad’s son Asad, who together with one in every of his associates was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, had been held.
Also learn: Atiq Ahmed killing | U.P. authorities varieties 3-member judicial fee
Uttar Pradesh Police had stated on Friday that it has gunned down 183 alleged criminals in encounters in the six years of the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led authorities and this included Asad and his confederate.
The plea sought the creation of an independent expert committee to probe the killings of Atiq and Ashraf.
“Issue guidelines/directions to safeguard the rule of law by constituting an Independent Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of former Supreme Court justice to inquire into the 183 encounters which had occurred since 2017 as stated by Uttar Pradesh Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) and also to inquire into the police custody murder of Atiq and Ashraf,” it stated.
Referring to Atiq’s killing, the plea stated “such actions by police are a severe threat to democracy and rule of law and lead to police state”.
“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,” the plea said.
The plea stated further judicial killings or pretend police encounters don’t have any place underneath the legislation.
When the police flip “Dare Devils 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 into further crime,” it said.
