Jagan questions probe into encounter deaths

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has questioned the rationale behind National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Supreme Court-appointed probes into the killing of the accused in the Disha rape-and-murder case in an encounter by the Telangana state police.

The remarks came during the course of a debate on the Andhra Pradesh Disha Bill passed by the Assembly on Friday. The AP Bill seeks to reduce the investigation and trial period in rape cases to 21 days while making the death sentence mandatory for those convicted of rape.  “We all appreciate if the hero in a movie shoots rapists to death. But, in this case, inquiries are going on in the name of NHRC and Supreme Court. They condemn the ghastly incident and demand punishment for rapists but, at the same time, find fault with the police. Hats off to KCR and Telangana police for meeting people’s aspirations in this matter,” Reddy remarked.

Expressing concern over such inquiries, the chief minister said decision makers in government and police may hesitate to act when such incidents happen. Rapists may walk free while victims’ family members suffer forever. He pointed out that every family in the society had discussed the Disha case and appreciated the instant justice meted out to the rapists. He pointed out that justice is still pending in the Nirbhaya case. The CM termed the proposed AP Disha Bill as revolutionary in that it would send shivers down the spine of people who even think of committing such heinous crimes.

Meanwhile, legal experts say it would take a long time for the Disha Bill to come into force, as drastic changes have made to the Nirbhaya Act enacted by the Centre earlier. While life imprisonment or death penalty has been prescribed for convicts in rape cases under the Nirbhaya Act, the AP Disha Act mandates only death sentence for rapes. The state will have to seek the Centre’s approval if the provision of death penalty for rape is to be included in the IPC and CrPC while implementing the law in Andhra Pradesh.

A senior official of the state told Deccan Chronicle that since the proposed AP Disha Bill contains several provisions “repugnant to provisions of an earlier law made by Parliament”, the AP Governor will have to send the bill to the Centre for vetting.