Missing 11 under-trials
HC directs ACPs to probe
On Thursday, the Bombay High Court directed the Additional Commissioners of Police, from both Mumbai as well as Thane to conduct an inquiry in the missing case of 11 under-trials, from the Thane Central prison, since 2010.
A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Amjad Sayed was hearing a criminal public interest litigation, which has alleged that the jail authorities are trying to hush-up the case of the alleged murder of one Robert Almeida, who was lodged in Thane central jail in 1997.
The petition claims that out of the 11 under-trials, who are missing since September 2010, six were eyewitnesses in the Almeida murder.
The police, however, maintained that Almeida was ‘mentally’ ill and had injured himself.
Earlier, the police as well as the jail authorities had invited the bench’s wrath for saying that the witnesses in this case were ‘not traceable’ since last six years. The police and the jail authorities had also furnished the records of all the missing undertrials, which stated that the inmates were available till September 8, 2010 but suddenly went missing.
On Thursday, when the matter came up for hearing, the bench was informed that KMM Prasanna, the Addl. Commissioner of Mumbai Police (Crime) will be conducting an inquiry in the case along with Pratap Singh Patankar, who is the Addl. Commissioner of Thane Police (West Zone).
Upon being informed, the bench directed Patankar to ascertain if any effort was made by the jail authorities to trace the missing 11 undertrials. The bench has also directed Patankar to take directions from the HC for taking any action against the officers who did not take adequate steps to solve the case. The bench has given him (Patanakr) a total of three months to complete his inquiry and submit a report of the same.
Meanwhile, the bench said, “The responsibility to trace the where abouts of these 11 under-trials will be of KMM Prasanna. He will have to form a team and take all possible steps to trace them so that a fresh inquiry can be ordered.”
Posting the matter on September 23, the bench has directed Prasanna to file periodical reports of the inquiry.