Azad killing: Court issues summons to 29 policemen

ADILABAD: The SC and ST Additional District Court and Sessions judge G.V.N. Bharatha Laxmi on Thursday issued orders to the Munsif Magistrate’s Court to take cognizance of, and initiate further proceedings in, the Azad encounter case by issuing summons to 29 accused policemen involved in the case to appear before it.  Judge Bharatha Laxmi gave these directions by setting aside the previous orders of the magistrate’s court closing the Azad case. The “encounter” took place in the Sarikepalli forest area in Wankidi mandal, Old Adilabad district, in 2010.

K. Padma, the wife of slain Maoist Azad, told mediapersons here that she was satisfied with the court’s directions, which boosted morale in the fight against ‘encounter’ killings — a euphemism for deliberate killing by the police. She said the orders reinforced her faith in the judiciary. Ms Padma’s counsel, Suresh also welcomed the orders and said they will fight a legal battle against the policemen involved in Azad’s killing.

According to sources, the court issuing orders and asking the police to appear before it in encounter incidents was latest one in the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states.  Earlier, the Hyderabad High Court had taken a telegram by a person as suo motu in the killing of the Sikasa leader Ramakanth by burning him alive after pouring kerosene on him when he was hiding in a house in Srirampur in 1996. 

The courts also took up the encounter killings of Madhusudan Raj in 1995 and Suryam in 1994 in the united AP. As many as 29 policem-en, including C.I. Raghu-nandan, were accused in the ‘encounter’ with Azad and journalist He-ma Chandra Pande. Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad was then central committee member of the Maoist party.  Azad as a representative of the Maoists has initiating peace talks with the Government of India through social activist Swamy Agnivesh when he was killed.