Telangana High Court Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan on Friday said police officers need to be sensitised on usage of third degree methods while questioning suspects.
The CJ, along with Justice N. Tukaramji, was hearing a writ petition on the death of a man, Chiranjeevi, who died after being picked up by Tukaramgate police of Hyderabad for questioning in a theft case. The HC took up the news report published in The Hindu suo moto as writ petition.
Advocate General B.S. Prasad informed the bench that Chiranjeevi was already involved in six property offences. “That does not matter,” said the CJ responding to the AG’s statement and noted that police should not use third degree methods to question suspects. The CJ issued notices to six police officers, including Principal Home Secretary, Director General of Police, Hyderabad Police Commissioner and North zone Deputy Commissioner of Police.
The Gopalapuram Assistant Commissioner of Police and Tukaramgate Station House Officer were also issued notices. The police officers were instructed to file counter affidavits by June 27 when the plea would be heard again, after HC summer vacation.
Another writ petition was filed by People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) seeking investigation into the death of Chiranjeevi by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). PUCL, represented by lawyer and human rights activist Jaya Vindhyala, also urged the court to instruct the government to pay compensation of ₹3 crore to Chiranjeevi’s family.
Ms. Jaya Vindhyala filed the plea by moving a lunch motion before the bench of Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy. The division bench tagged the PUCL’s writ petition along with the suo moto taken up writ petition.
