GUWAHATI: Gauhati High Court has sought details from the Assam government about all alleged fake encounters in the state since May last year, posting the matter for hearing on January 11, 2022 for the government to respond to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed last month.
New Delhi-based advocate Arif Jwadder had filed the PIL in the Gauhati High Court, seeking an independent inquiry and a separate judicial probe into the alleged encounters by the Assam Police since May this year.
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Jwadder, who is a resident of Assam, has in the PIL (number 86/2021), mentioned that 80 such encounters have taken place in the state since May 2021, resulting in 28 deaths and leaving 48 injured.
Arguing the matter in the Gauhati HC on Monday, senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General of India, Indira Jaising, who appeared on behalf of the petitioner, stated that even the Assam Human Rights Commission has acknowledged the gravity of the situation by taking a suo moto cognizance on the alleged fake encounters and issuing a notice.
Jwadder has sought an order from the Gauhati HC for the registration of an FIR in the alleged fake encounter cases and an independent investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or a police team from another state, under the supervision of the Court.
The advocate also sought a judicial inquiry by a sitting Judge of the Gauhati HC into the alleged encounters and monetary compensation to the families of the victims after due verification.
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Besides the state government, Assam Police, the department of law and justice, NHRC and the Assam Human Rights Commission had been named as respondents in the petition.
In July last year, Jwadder had filed a complaint against such incidents with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The commission had sought a report from the Assam Police in September. In November, NHRC transferred the case to the Assam Human Rights Commission.
The complaint is still pending.
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