The Supreme Court on Monday rescheduled the hearing of a petition seeking an independent probe by a bench chaired by a retired supreme court judge into the public killings of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in Uttar Pradesh to April 28, 2023.
A Bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud stated that the case is one among several being rescheduled for a later date after five judges have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The court is operating with fewer judges, and the benches have been reconstituted to avoid greater pendency.
The plea was mentioned by advocate Vishal Tiwari, who is also the petitioner.
Mr. Tiwari has also requested an investigation of the 183 encounters that have occurred in Uttar Pradesh since 2017.
Ahmad and Ashraf, who were handcuffed, were shot dead by three men posing as journalists when they were answering reporters’ questions while being escorted by police to a medical college in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj for a checkup.
Just hours before the shooting, Ahmad’s son Asad, who was killed along with one of his accomplices in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were held.
In the six years of the Yogi Adityanath-led government, the Uttar Pradesh Police allegedly killed down 183 accused criminals in encounters, including Asad and his accomplice.
“Issue guidelines/directions to safeguard the rule of law by forming an Independent Expert Committee chaired by a former Supreme Court justice to investigate the 183 encounters which had occurred since 2017 as stated by the Uttar Pradesh Special Director General of Police (Law and Order), as well as to inquire the police custody murders of Atiq and Ashraf,” the plea stated.
