Justice Sirpurkar submits 2019 Hyd encounter report
Justice V.S. Sirpurkar— a former Supreme Court judge—who headed the commission that inquired into the Hyderabad encounter of four suspected accused in the rape and murder of a veterinary doctor, has submitted the report to the top court.
The report was submitted to the top court on January 28, 2022.
The secretary of the Inquiry Commission, in a statement, said that the commission collected various documentary records, including investigation records, forensic reports, post mortem reports, photographs and videos concerning the scene of incident, etc.
The Inquiry Commission held hearings spread over for 47 days between August 21, 2021, and November 15, 2021. It examined 57 witnesses and recorded their evidence. The hearings were held publicly while observing Covid restrictions.
Advocates for Telangana, police officials involved in the incident, and other interested parties participated in the hearings.
The commission heard oral arguments from all the advocates from November 16 to November 26, 2021.
The top court, by its December 12, 2019, order, had appointed the Justice Sirpurkar Commission to inquire into the encounter of four suspected accused in the rape and murder of a veterinary doctor.
Besides Justice Sirpurkar, other members of the three-member Inquiry Commission included former judge of Bombay high court Justice Rekha Sundar Baldota and former CBI director D.R. Kaarthikeyan.
While the top court had barred the high court and the National Human Rights Commission from initiating proceedings with any probe already initiated into the encounter, it had permitted the SIT set-up by Telangana government to go on with its investigation.
The four accused— Mohammed Arif, Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu, Jollu Shiva, and Jollu Naveen—were allegedly encountered in Hyderabad on December 6, 2019, while in the custody of the police.