Breather for accused in Disha encounter case

Telangana HC suspends Sirpurkar Commission report

The High Court of Telangana has suspended until further orders the report of Justice V S Sirpurkar Commission of Inquiry, which found fault with ten police officers in the Disha encounter case.
Justice Vijaysen Reddy of the High Court passed the interim order after hearing the writ petitions filed by A Sridhar, Station House Officer of Shadnagar police station of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate and another filed by Tahsildar Jaruplavath Pandu, praying to quash the adverse findings against them in the report.
While adjourning the petitions to July for next hearing, the judge directed the state government not to initiate any coercive steps against the police officers till the next date of hearing.
It may be recalled a 26-year-old veterinarian was found dead on November 28, 2019 near Chintapally bridge in Shadnagar police station limits. Later, police arrested four persons Mohammed Arif, Jolly Naveen, Jolly Shiva and Chinthakunta Chennakeshavulu accusing them of gang-raping and killing the veterinarian.
The accused were killed in police firing on the morning of December 6, 2019 when they were taken for crime scene reconstruction. Police claimed that they had to open fire at the accused in self-defence as one of them snatched their weapon and fired at them.
Police received both accolades and criticism following the alleged encounter. Consequently, Supreme Court ordered an inquiry into the “alleged fake encounter” by constituting a three-member commission of inquiry headed by Justice V S Sirpurkar.
The report, submitted on January 28, 2022, found fault with the police officers involved in the case which came to be known as the ‘Disha encounter case’.
The Commission also recommended registration of FIR against the police officers linked.
Sridhar and Pandu approached the HC seeking a direction to call for records of the inquiry commission. They contended that the Commission’s recommendation for penal action against them was beyond the scope of Commission of Inquiry Act and it was against principles of natural justice.