SC to hear on Apr 28 plea seeking independent probe into killing of Atiq Ahmad, Ashraf
Days after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead under police custody by three killed, who posed as journalists, a plea was filed in the Supreme Court (SC) seeking the constitution of an independent expert committee headed by a former apex court judge to probe the killings.
Plea filed in SC in Atiq and Ashraf’s killing case
The plea, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, also sought an inquiry into the 183 encounters that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh since 2017.
On Saturday night, gangster Atiq and Ashraf, who were in handcuffs, were shot dead by three men when they were answering reporters’ queries while being escorted by police personnel to a medical college in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj for a medical.
The plea sought the creation of an independent expert committee to probe the killings of the Ahmed brothers.
Need for a probe
The plea said, “Issue guidelines/directions to safeguard the rule of law by constituting an Independent Expert Committee under the Chairmanship of former Supreme Court justice to inquire into the 183 encounters which had occurred since 2017 as stated by Uttar Pradesh Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) and also to inquire into the police custody murder of Atiq and Ashraf.”
Referring to the mafia’s killing, the plea said: “Such actions by police are a severe threat to democracy and rule of law and lead to a police state.”
An attack on UP Police
“In a democratic society, the police cannot be allowed to become a mode of delivering final justice or to become a punishing authority. The power of punishment is only vested in the judiciary,” the plea stated.
Moreover, it said extra-judicial killings or fake police encounters have no place under the law.
When the police turn “Dare Devils then the entire rule of law collapses and generates fear in the mind of people against the police which is very dangerous for democracy and this also results into further crime,” it added.
