Plea in SC seeks court-monitored independent inquiry by Central Agency for Chitrakoot jail killings
May 16, 2021
New Delhi [India], May 16 : A petition has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored independent inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or National Investigation Agency (NIA) into alleged killings of inmates at Chitrakoot jail in Uttar Pradesh.
The plea has sought the appointment of a Central Agency like CBI or NIA, under supervision of the apex court, to investigate into alleged killings of three under trial inmates.
Petitioner, Advocate Anoop Prakash Awasthi, further sought direction for all alleged extra-judicial killings that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh after March 18, 2017.
The petition alleged that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has openly promoted the culture of encounters and extra-judicial killings and went on record to say "Police in UP will now respond to a bullet with a bullet."
The plea cited the killing of Munna Bajrangi who was shot dead in Bagpat Jail of Uttar Pradesh, and Vikas Dubey's encounter saying there have been several hundred encounters in UP since 2017, which is "not only alarming but equally disturbing".
"Chief Minister, who is the provincial head of an elected government encroached upon the domain of punishment in sanctioning the taking of life in encounters without following the due process of law", it added.
