Disha Case: Telangana HC adjourns batch of PILs to 12 April

Telangana: The division bench of the Telangana High Court comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukaramji has impleaded the then Inspector, Shadnagar Mr Sridhar and TS Retired Police Officers Association as respondent parties.

Raghuram, Senior Counsel appearing for Inspector Sridhar and Mr Vivek Reddy, Senior Counsel appearing for Disha's parents, argued that there is no need to direct the State to register the second FIR u/s 302 IPC against the police party.

Further, aggrieved parties can approach the concerned Sessions Court on any inadequacy of investigation. Moreover, if a decision of the Sessions Court aggrieves the party, they can appeal before the High Court.

Sri. H Venugopal, senior counsel and former GP, Home appearing for TS Retired Police Officers Association, has submitted that the Enquiry Commission can't curtail the defence rights of the police officers.

The Court listed the batch of PILs to 12.04.2023 on Hybrid Mode for further hearing on the request of a Junior Counsel of S. Niranjan Reddy, Senior Counsel appearing for TS Police Officers Association.

The Court expressed its displeasure on the act of the State in asking for repeated adjournments on the ground that a Senior Counsel from Delhi is to appear in this case which seeks time.

While turning towards Advocate General Banda Shivananda Prasad, the Chief Justice warned that if there is no representation from the State on the next date of hearing, which is on hybrid mode, it will pass an exparte order.

Vrinda Grover, Counsel from Delhi, appeared for Women's Rights and People's Organisation.

The Court was dealing with a batch of pleas on the Disha Encounter, filed by Women's Rights and Peoples Organization and others seeking a judicial probe into the Encounter at Chatanpally Village, Shadnagar Mandal, Mahbubnagar on 06-12-2019, wherein four accused persons viz., Md. Arif, Jollu Siva, Jollu Naeen and Ch. Chennakesavulu, accused of rape and murder, were gunned down by police for the rape and murder of a girl named Disha (name changed).

The Disha Commission, headed by the former Supreme Court Judge Justice V S Sirpurkar, was constituted to probe.

The Petitioner, Women's Rights and Peoples Organisation, seeks registration of crime under section 302 IPC on all those Police Officers who participated in the Encounter.

This issue went to the Supreme Court, and in the APEX court's direction, the High Court is hearing the batch of PILs.

Senior Counsel Desai Prakash Reddy was appointed by the Court as Amicus Curiae to assist the Court.