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Custodial Deaths
YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has alleged that an "undeclared emergency" is unfolding in Andhra Pradesh, citing the alleged custodial toruture of a party leader's son by the state police in Palnadu district. Reddy on Friday claimed that Harikrishna, son of party leader Yellaiah, was subjected to torture by the Dachepalli police in Tangada village. "Is it acceptable if police who are meant to protect people unleash violence against them. It signals the breakdown of democratic order. This is an undeclared emergency unfolding in Andhra Pradesh, Reddy said in a post on X. In a purported video shared by the former CM on X, Harikrishna's wife, children, parents, and relatives were seen staging a protest against his arrest, raising serious allegations against the police. In the video, Harikrishna's wife was heard complaining that the police picked her husband up in the morning saying that they would send him back in a few hours but they failed to do so even around mid-day. Staging a
A magistrate's inquiry has held five policemen responsible for the custodial death of Akshay Shinde, accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case. The magistrate on Monday tendered its inquiry report to the Bombay High Court, which was hearing a plea filed by Shinde's father, Anna Shinde, claiming his son was killed by the police in a fake encounter. Akshay Shinde (24) was arrested in August 2024 for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls inside the toilet of a school in Badlapur. He was an attendant at the school. In September, Shinde was killed in an alleged police shootout while being taken from the Taloja prison for questioning. The police claimed he snatched the gun of one of the police personnel in the police van, opened fire, and was killed in retaliatory firing. Under the law, a magistrate inquiry is initiated in cases where an accused dies in police custody. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale perused the report. The bench said
The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the magistrate to submit by November 18 an inquiry report into the custodial death of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan gave this direction, and also ordered that all evidence related to the case be collected, preserved and checked by forensic experts. The bench also emphasized the police to include strong forensic evidence in its probe into the incident where the accused was killed in a police shoot-out. The law mandates that every custodial death has to be inquired into by a magistrate. Advocate General Birendra Saraf said all relevant documents have been forwarded to the magistrate for inquiry. The court said the magistrate shall commence the inquiry and hear all parties concerned. "The report shall be placed before us on November 18. The magistrate inquiry report is expedited," the HC said. The court was hearing a plea filed .
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the Gujarat government's response on former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sanjiv Bhatt's plea against his conviction in a 1990 custodial death case in which he was sentenced to life imprisonment. "Issue notice returnable in four weeks," a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Prasanna B Varale said. The court also tagged the appeal with other matters related to the case. Bhatt has moved the top court challenging the Gujarat High Court's January 9, 2024 order dismissing his appeal. The court also upheld the conviction of Bhatt and co-accused Pravinsinh Zala under Sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. The high court had dismissed the state government's appeal seeking to enhance the sentences of five other accused who were acquitted of murder but convicted under Sections 323 and 506. While Bhatt and Zala are behind bars, the court cancelled the bail bonds of the five other .