Taking serious note of alleged custodial torture by the police, the Bombay HC directed the court registrar to submit a list of human rights’ NGOs to scrutinise police stations across the state.
Taking serious note of alleged custodial torture by the police, the Bombay High Court on Monday directed the court registrar to submit a list of human rights’ NGOs to scrutinise police stations across the state.
The court was hearing the petition of Pune resident Tansukh Jain who alleged that he, his brother and another person were illegally detained by the police on an allegedly trumped-up charge in January and subjected to third-degree torture.
“We want the total police department to be scrutinised,” Justice SB Mhase said and gave the registrar a week’s time to furnish the list of NGOs .
Jain said that a day after his brother was taken into custody he had gone to another police station first to enquire, from where he was taken to Kothrud. Jain further alleged that the Kothrud police assaulted them in a lock-up by hanging them with rexin belts from the hooks on the ceiling on January 4, 2008.
Jain said he was not even arrested by the police but detained illegally and tortured due to which he fractured his leg. “You (the police) cannot take a person from one police station to another in the night without arresting him. The violation (of human rights) beings there,” justice Mhase reprimanded.
The court had earlier directed a team of judicial officers to make a surprise visit to the police station and check for “instruments of torture”. A report was submitted to the court after a visit to the Kothrud police station that showed that there were two patches of wet cement on the ceiling of a room where two hooks had evidently existed, and later removed.
On Monday, justice Mhase and VK Tahilramani were of the view that an independent scrutiny of police lock-ups needed to be conducted by a human rights NGO to check on third-degree torture tactics allegedly used by the police. Public prosecutor Satish Borulkar suggested that the enquiry be conducted by a magistrate, a sessions judge or a retired HC judge. The court however deemed it appropriate to assign the job to an NGO.
j_mayura@dnaindia.net
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}