Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday heard the case
relating to the encounter killings of the four accused in the gang-rape and
murder of veterinary doctor Disha.
Justice C.V. Bhaskar Reddy and Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan of the High Court
heard the arguments of Vrinda Grover, representing civil rights activists.
Despite the Commission of Inquiry findings, Grover informed the court that
no murder charges had been brought against the police officers for the
encounter deaths of the four accused in the gang rape and murder of Disha.
It may be noted that the Supreme Court appointed the Justice Sirpurkar
Commission of inquiry, led by Justices V.S. Sirpurkar, Sondurbaldota, and D.
R. Karthikeyan, to investigate the encounter killings of Mohammad Arif,
Jollu Shiva, Jollu Naveen, and Chintakunta Chennakesavulu, for committing
gang rape and murder of veterinary doctor Disha. According to the Justice
Sirpurkar Commission, the encounter killings of the four suspects in the
Disha gang rape and murder case was fake. Following the submission of the
Commission of inquiry report, the Supreme Court had referred the
commission's report to the Telangana high court and make a decision on the
further course of action
Grover submitted to the Telangana High Court to give directions to the Telangana government to direct the police to register a FIR against the
police personnel named in the Commission of Inquiry report. Further, Grover
cited the Supreme Court's 2017 decision in the Manipur extra-judicial
killings case.
She argued that the SC had directed that FIRs to be
registered in those cases where the Commission of Inquiry had made
recommendations against the Manipur police and that the HC has the power to
direct the state government to register an FIR in cases where the Commission
of Inquiry has given a finding against the erring police.
Grover also drew the attention of the HC to the landmark encounter death case heard by the AP High Court (undivided Andhra Pradesh) in 2009. The court adjourned the case to January 2.
