Singhvi moves SC over encounters, custodial deaths

NEW DELHI: Congress leader and senior advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi moved the Supreme Court on Monday, seeking creation of a special mechanism for time-bound investigation by judicial magistrates into encounter killings and custodial deaths.

There should be a judicial magistrate earmarked in every district for such investigation which should be completed within two months and the trial, which follows, should be concluded within a year, Singhvi requested.

“Once the preliminary inquiry is completed by the judicial magistrate, unless exonerated by such report, departmental proceedings should be initiated (against the concerned police officials) and completed within a period of 4 months”, the plea said.

He also requested the constitution of a permanent committee in each state, headed either by the chief justice or a judge of the high court concerned, and also comprising one independent member of civil society and one senior government IAS officer not below the rank of joint secretary, to such investigations.

Singhvi moved the application as part of the landmark case of DK Basu v. State of West Bengal.