The Supreme Court on Thursday sought the Chhattisgarh government's response to a writ petition filed by arrested tribal teacher Soni Sori, who claimed she was dying of police torture.
Justice Altamas Kabir told Chhattisgarh's standing counsel Atul Jha: “You take instructions [from the government]. Find out about her physical condition.” Ms. Sori's counsel says “she is dying. Please verify and tell us tomorrow [Friday].”
Earlier counsel Colin Gonsalves alleged that the woman was on the verge of death due to police torture after her arrest from Delhi last week. He said she was falsely implicated in a number of cases linking her to Maoist activities. She was willing to face any probe by any agency, other than the Chhattisgarh police, to prove her innocence, counsel told a Bench, which included Justice H.L. Gokhale.
In her petition, Ms. Sori said the police wanted her to give evidence against fellow villagers and to make false statements that they were Maoists.
