SC sends notice to UP Govt on plea related to alleged extra-judicial killings
New Delhi, October 10: The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government in response to a plea seeking to appoint a central agency or a counter-terrorist agency to probe extra-judicial killings in the state.
A bench of Chief Justice of India UU Lalit and Justice S Ravindra Bhat asked the UP government to file a status report on advocate Anoop Prakash Awasthi's plea. Anoop Prakash Awasthi, appearing as a petitioner-in-person, apprised the court of an incident relating to the Chitrakoot killings.
In his plea, advocate Awasthi requested that the top court appoint a Central Agency such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Counter Terrorist agency such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the issues involving the July 14, 2021 killings of three under trial jail inmates at the Chitrakoot jail in Uttar Pradesh's Chitrakoot district.
He also sought to fix accountability and take appropriate action against whosoever may be found responsible.
The petition also sought the appointment of a Central Agency or a Counter Terrorist agency under the supervision of the top Court to investigate all the extra-judicial killings that have taken place after March 18, 2017, in the state of Uttar Pradesh till date.
The plea asked for a probe with special terms of reference into how many extra-judicial killings were done on the direct orders of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and to take necessary action if any culpability was proven.
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"In a mature, civilized, democratic, rule of law based county like India, history of violence should be remembered, not repeated but in the State of Uttar Pradesh, a battle of Agincourt is being fought in its jails were the police, ('an organized band of criminals' as Hon'ble Justice A. N. Mulla said a half-century ago) the under the direct orders of the top of the administration is summerly executing the prisoners on frivolous excuses like snatching of pistol or firing by the dead, defying conscience, constitution, fundamental rights, human rights and this culture of violence promoted in the state of UP militates against the basic notion of very rule of law where violence has become a collective enterprise to portray the authority of government and obscure its failures," the petition stated.
"The biggest worry qua the extra-judicial killings if gone unchecked is that the life of any citizen can be taken anytime by the state agencies. Any enmity or private dispute or quest of settling private score may lead to the filing of a few criminal cases in some police station against the undesired person, branding him a dreaded criminal within days, to be taken into custody as under trial, and fellow may be eliminated by being shot anytime anywhere by the police/law enforcement authorities on any false pretext like an attempt of snatching a rifle or pistol of fellow police personnel during transportation or even inside the jail," it added.
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-PTC News
