New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday ordered setting up an inquiry commission to look into the circumstances in which four people accused in the gangrape and murder of a veterinarian in Telangana were killed.
The commission will be headed by former judge Shridhar Sirpurkar and will include former Bombay High Court judge Rekha Sondur Baldota, and former CBI director D.R. Karthikeyan. The court asked for the report to be submitted within six months.
Noting that people had a “right to know the truth”, the Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde said, “We are of the considered view that there should be impartial inquiry into the encounter deaths of the four people accused in the gangrape and murder of a veterinarian in Telangana.”
The bench, which also included justices S.A. Nazeer and Sanjiv Khann, was hearing two public interest litigations seeking an independent probe in the matter.
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During the proceedings, the Telangana government justified the incident, saying the accused had snatched two firearms and shot at the police party.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Telangana government, said though no policemen sustained bullet wounds, they were injured in the attack since the accused used stones and sticks.
The bench observed that there were aspects of the Telangana government’s version which need an inquiry.
(With PTI inputs)
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