Shopian killings, Loya case among SC trials this week

The Supreme Court is set for a busy week with a bunch of important cases, including that of a military officer accused of killing civilians in Shopian, the apparently mysterious death of special CBI judge BH Loya, a vexed verdict on land acquisition, the so-called “love jihad”, and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. A bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra will take up on Monday a petition filed by the father of Major Adithya Kumar of 10 Garhwal Rifles, who is facing criminal prosecution after soldiers gunned down three men in Shopian for allegedly throwing stones at a military convoy this January. An FIR was registered against the soldiers, including Major Kumar, for murder and attempt to kill under the Ranbir Penal Code, the equivalent of the Indian Penal Code in J&K.

Lieutenant Colonel Karamveer Singh, the officer’s father, has said in his petition that his son was “wrongly and arbitrarily” named in the FIR, contending that he was performing his military duty against an “unruly and deranged” mob damaging army vehicles. The top court restrained on February 12 the state police from taking coercive steps against the officer. The court stayed the investigation into the case after the father said his son was defending the country.

The Chief Justice-led bench will also hear petitions demanding a court-monitored independent investigation into the death of judge Loya, who was holding trial in the alleged staged killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in 2005 — a controversial shooting in which BJP chief Amit Shah was an accused. HTC