HC to top officials: Issue directives for impartial probe

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad high court has directed the DGP and the home secretary of UP to issue directives regarding investigation in ‘sensitive cases’ involving mafiosi or influential people while emphasising upon the need for a ‘prompt, fair and impartial investigation.’ It also stressed on the need to sustain the faith of people and victims during investigation of such cases.

The court also directed both the officers to formulate procedures for oversight and review of investigations in ‘sensitive cases’ by concerned senior officer.

It also directed for such probe reports to be documented properly for supervision. The court has given two months time to the officials for completion of this exercise.

The bench comprising chief justice DB Bhosale and justice Yashwant Varma passed the above directions while disposing of two petitions filed by Ram Kishan Singh and Ramhari Sharma.

The court after hearing the parties directed the concerned SSP to ensure that petitioners and other witnesses of the crimes referred to in the two petitions are accorded adequate security to ensure free, fair and impartial investigation and complaints, if any, in respect of threat or intimidation of witnesses is received then the same shall be attended to promptly.

To recall both the petitioners sought security as they feared threat to their life from former MP Atiq Ahmad as they were witness in criminal cases against the mafioso.

On December 14 last year, Ahmad and his henchmen allegedly barged into Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) and assaulted its staff members for taking action against two students who were debarred from taking the examination after they were caught cheating.

Petitioner, Ram Kishan Singh was the security officer then. On February 10, the high court sought criminal history of Ahmad. The police arrested the former MP on February 11. He was remanded to 14 days judicial custody and sent to jail.

Another petitioner Ramhari Sharma was an eyewitness to the daylight murder of his son, which took place on February 8 in Hathras.