The Madras High Court on Wednesday admitted a writ petition seeking a direction to the State Government to register a case of murder against a Deputy Superintendent of Police and other police personnel concerned in “the killing” of two persons in Sivaganga district on November 30.
A Division Bench, comprising Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and Aruna Jagadeesan, ordered notice to the government.
Key suspects
In the petition, the Prisoners Rights Forum, represented by its director, P. Pugalenthi, who is also an advocate, cited news reports that the police had shot dead Prabhu and Bharathi, key suspects in the October 27 murder of a Sub-Inspector of Police, Alwin Sudhan, in an ‘encounter’ at Theethankottai in Sivaganga district.
The police had said that the two suspecets were spotted on a motorcycle and they tried to intercept them. But the duo hurled petrol bombs at the police.
The DSP, Vellathurai, had said that in a bid to protect the policemen, he fired at them, the petitioner said.
Mr. Pugalenthi said in the last six years, there had been 35 encounter deaths.
He made a complaint to the Home Secretary and the Director-General of Police requesting them to register a case under Section 302 (punishment for murder) IPC against the DSP and other police personnel involved in the ‘killing’ and to prosecute them.
The authorities ought to have registered a case on their own against the police personnel concerned immediately after the incident. But no case under Section 302 had so far been registered.
