Plea urges HC to take cognisance of Wadala custodial death

A lawyer approached the Bombay High Court on Thursday urging it to take cognisance of the death of a 26-year-old man allegedly in police custody.

Advocate Arvind Tiwari submitted his application to the vacation bench of Justice K K Tated, urging the court to take cognisance of the incident and pass appropriate directions to the state government to initiate strict action.

He also sought that a committee headed by a retired high court judge be set up to conduct inquiry into the incident.

Justice Tated directed the high court registry to place the application before Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog for necessary directions.

"Custodial death is perhaps one of the worst crimes in a civilised society governed by the rule of law. As per reports, the number of custodial deaths in the state of Maharashtra is very high," Tiwari said in his application.

It further said that the government has so far not complied with previous high court orders which directed that CCTV cameras be installed in each and every police station to avoid such incidents.

Vijay Singh, a resident of suburban Sion area, who worked as a medical representative in a pharmaceutical firm, died on October 27 after he was detained at the Wadala Truck Terminus Police Station for questioning in an assault case.

The victim's family members and his friend alleged that he was beaten to death in police custody. The police, however, claimed that Singh was released after he complained of chest pain and that he collapsed at the gate of the police station.

Soon after the incident, five policemen -- a police inspector, a sub-inspector and three constables -- attached to the Wadala TT station were suspended pending inquiry.

The probe was transferred to the city police's crime branch.