HC orders police to probe custodial death of alleged terrorist

The Allahabad High Court has directed police to probe the custodial death of alleged terrorist Khalid Mujahid in June,2013, while he was returning from a Faizabad district court to Barabanki district jail.
The court also stayed the proceedings of this case, pending before Barabanki Chief Judicial Magistrate court and directed to hand over the record of the case to CB-CID, the petitioner's counsel said.
A division bench of justice Ajai Lamba and justice Brijesh Kumar Srivastva passed the order yesterday on a writ petition seeking a direction for CBI probe in the incident.
The petitioner's counsel Farhan Naqvi said that earlier Uttar Pradesh government had recomended a CBI probe in this matter but CBI declined to take it up.

CBI's refusal was challenged in this petition, he said.
The police, after investigation, had filed a closure report before the Barabanki court.

On behalf of the state government Additional Advocate General Zafaryab Jeelani said that earlier, the court had asked for the government's response to get this case probed through a special investigation teem (SIT).
Jeelani submitted that the state government has no objection to it if the court ordered for the same.
The court, while passing the order, disposed of the petition, Jeelani said.