A plea, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari in the Supreme Court, on Sunday sought an inquiry into the 183 encounters which have taken place in Uttar Pradesh since 2017. The plea additionally sought a structure of an impartial skilled committee headed by a former apex courtroom decide to probe killings of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf.
Ahmad (60) and Ashraf, who have been in handcuffs, have been shot useless by three males posing as journalists once they have been answering reporters’ queries whereas being escorted by police personnel to a medical faculty in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj for a checkup on Saturday evening.
Just hours earlier than the taking pictures, the final rites of Ahmad’s son Asad, who together with one of his associates was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, have been held.
Uttar Pradesh Police had mentioned 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 impartial skilled 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 mentioned.
Referring to Atiq’s killing, the plea mentioned “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 acknowledged.
The plea mentioned extra-judicial killings or faux police encounters don’t have any place beneath 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 acknowledged.
(With PTI enter)
