It Is A Matter Of Credibility Says Supreme Court, Orders Probe Into The Hyderabad Encounter Killing

The Supreme Court has ordered a probe by a three-member commission into the alleged encounter in Hyderabad last week in which four men accused of rape and murder of a 27-year-old veterinary doctor was killed.

The commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge VS Sirpurkar and includes Justice Rekha Prakash Sondurbaldota, a former Bombay High Court judge and former CBI director, DR Karthikeyan have been given six months time to submit a report to the apex court.

The top court ordered the probe into the incident on a plea by advocates G S Mani and Pradeep Kumar Yadav seeking a court-monitored probe into the killing. The SC bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices S A Nazeer and Sanjiv Khanna also made it clear there won't be another probe by any agency until it is over, meaning that the investigations by eight-member SIT set up by the Telangana government and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will not go ahead.

The petitioners had argued that there was no evidence to prove that the four men had committed the crime that they were accused of. They also argued that the encounter was staged to protect the real culprits.

Appearing for the Telangana Government, former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi defended the police action saying that the accused had snatched a gun from one of the cops. "Why were the police officials, accompanying the accused to the crime scene, carrying loaded guns... why did the accused attack the policemen with stones when they had snatched arms... were they history sheeters?" the Chief Justice of India asked Rohatgi.

"It's a matter of credibility. We don't think your trial of nonexistent accused should come in the way of inquiry into what you did," the chief justice said.

The four men Mohammed Areef, Jollu Shiva, Jollu Naveen and Chennakeshavulu who were accused of raping and murdering a veterinary doctor from Hyderabad, were gunned down by police on December 6 at the scene of the crime, where they were taken to recreate the chain of events. According to the police version, one of the accused snatched a pistol from one of the cops and fired at them in an attempt to flee.

Police claimed that they acted in self-defence and shot dead all the four accused. However, many had raised questions on the police version and alleged that the four men were shot dead due to pacify the crowd which demanded death and even lynching of the accused.

They also pointed out that Cyberabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar who led the encounter was involved in another such killing and the modus operandi was the same.

Following the encounter, the Hyderabad Police which had initially come under heavy criticism for their inaction when the family of the rape victim filed a missing complaint were hailed as heroes and were even were showered with flowers by crowds who came to celebrate the killing.