Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Wednesday felt that it is appropriate to entrust the investigation into the lock-up death of Mariyamma in Addaduguru Police Station under the Rachakonda Commissionerate to an independent agency such as CBI.
The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice A. Rajashekar Reddy, questioned the government as to why it did not lodge a criminal case against police officers, who are responsible for the death of Mariyamma, as per the guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission and the Supreme Court.
The Advocate-General informed the bench that a sub-inspector and a police constable were dismissed from service. He also tried to convince the court as that the victim had died of heart failure and that no physical torture meted out against the victim.
Showing the photographs which depict grave injuries inflicted on the body of Mariyamma, Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma asked Advocate-General B.S Prasad, “Anybody, who is beaten like this, her heart will stop. But, you are saying that she died of heart failure.”
The Chief Justice also pointed out variations in the first and second post-mortem reports. In the first report no injuries were recorded, and statements of witnesses and the inquest over the dead body of the deceased did not disclose any injuries over the body. The second post-mortem, which was conducted on the directions of the High Court, however, found grave injuries on the body of the deceased.
“It was only when a judicial order was passed directing for a second post-mortem examination, injuries came to light. So, we feel it is a fit case to a probe by an independent agency,” observed the Chief Justice.
The Bench directed Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao, Assistant Solicitor General (ASG) representing the Union government, to ensure that Superintendent of Police, CBI, is present before it on the next date of hearing on November 22. It also directed the Advocate General to hand over the entire file pertaining to the lock-up death to the ASG.
The Bench was dealing with a petition filed by People's Union for Civil Libraries (PUCL), Telangana, seeking a judicial probe into the death of Mariyamma, alleging that she died because of police brutality.
The victim, who was working as a maid at a pastor's house at Addagudur in Yadadri district, was picked up by the police after the pastor accused her of stealing Rs 2 lakh from his house. However, she died in the police station on June 18, 2021, due to the alleged police torture. The police, nevertheless, claimed that she had died of a heart attack in the police station.
