Hyderabad: Challenging a High Court order directing a magistrate to record the statements of eyewitnesses to the alleged encounter killing of CPI-ML New Democracy Punnam Lingaiah, the government and the police have special leave petitions before the Supreme Court.
The government informed the High Court on Monday when it began perusing the statements of the witnesses which was sent by the Yellendu magistrate in Khammam district.
TS special counsel S. Sharat Kumar told a division bench comprising Chief Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Annireddy Abhishek Reddy that the petition would come up for hearing on Friday in the apex court. He requested the High Court to adjourn the case filed by civil rights activist Prof. Gaddam Lakshman.
It may be noted that on August 21 the High Court had directed the Yellendu magistrate to send a report after recording the statements of the four persons who were mentioned as witnesses to the killing of Lingaiah, based on the submission of the petitioner.
After the request of the special counsel, the court adjourned the case to September 13, directing the government to file counter on the encounter issue.
