Supreme Court expresses concern over encounter
In Uttar Pradesh, what happens to criminals remains a political issue. A war of words has erupted between the ruling and opposition parties over the treatment in the country’s largest state. While the Yogi government has expressed support for the issue, the opposition has claimed that the conflict is class-specific. Amid the political uproar over the Uttar Pradesh encounter, Assam’s 171st encounter has been questioned. The Supreme Court expressed concern. The court considered the situation serious.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the problem of 171 police encounters in Assam between May 2021 and August 2022 was very serious and sought details including the investigation into these cases. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjwal Bhuyan was hearing a petition challenging the January 2023 order of the Gauhati High Court. The court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Assam police raising issues related to the encounters.
In its order, the high court referred to an affidavit filed by the Assam government, which said that from May 2021 to August 2022, 171 incidents occurred in which 56 people died, including four in custody, 145 people were injured. become.
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‘So many incidents are worrying’
During a hearing on Tuesday, the Supreme Court said this was a very serious issue. The 171 incidents are concerning. When counsel appearing for the Assam government argued that the high court was not inclined to consider the PIL and termed it premature, the bench said such a petition cannot be dismissed as premature.
Prashant Bhushan, advocate for petitioner Arif Mohammad Yasin Javadar, argued that there were a lot of clashes in Assam. The state police failed to follow guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in 2014 on the procedures to be followed in investigating encounter cases.
He felt that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Assam Human Rights Commission had failed in their duties on these issues. The Supreme Court wants you to take a leading role in civil liberties matters, the judge told lawyers appearing for the committee. The judge said when they (the Human Rights Commission) receive a letter or complaint, don’t wait for the complainant to come to you. You use your machine to find out the truth. The court will hold the next hearing on the case on November 26.
Are specific communities being targeted?
The Supreme Court also asked the Assam government whether the state police targeted specific communities. The court asked if the police targeted any communities? Are they over-performing their responsibilities? Such petitions cannot be rejected. It hardly takes 10 or 15 days. These events occurred in 2021 and 2022.
