Hyderabad High Court gags Andhra Pradesh on red sanders ‘smugglers’ encounter
Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday assured the Hyderabad High Court that the police officers will not disclose any details to media about the incident in which 20 woodcutters hired by red sanders smugglers were killed in Seshachalam hill ranges near Tirupati.
The High Court has suo motu impleaded the wife of one of the victims as a petitioner to the plea pending before it. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P. V. Sanjay Kumar was dealing with a petition moved by Chilaka Chandra Sekhar, general secretary of the Civil Liberties Committee, seeking a direction to register a case under Section 302 of IPC (Murder) against the police personnel involved in the encounter and also to order CBI probe into the encounter.
While hearing the case, the bench wondered what will be the fate of investigation when senior police officers, like Director General, speak out justifying the action.
The bench said, “We will take it as serious exception and we desire that police shall not divulge information to the press as the matter is sub-judice and we shall restrain the police from revealing the information.”
When the bench said that it will pass orders in this regard, Dammalapati Srinivas, additional advocate general intervened and said that the government will instruct the officers not to share any information with the press regarding the investigation in the case.
While recording the statement of the additional AG, the bench said that this assurance will help fair and independent investigation of the case and also will create confidence among the people.
V. Raghunath, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that Ms Muniyammal, wife of one of the victims, has lodged a complaint with Chandragiri police station seeking to register a case of murder against the police personnel participated in the encounter.
The bench directed the additional AG to inform to the bench by Wednesday whether police had received the complaint or not and if received, what action has been taken.
