Court asks rights panel for status report on Jamia shootout
The Delhi High court asked the National Human Rights Commission for a status report on the Jamia Nagar shootout between the police and suspected terrorists.
The Delhi High court on Wednesday asked the National Human Rights Commission for a status report on the Jamia Nagar shootout between the police and suspected terrorists as the police told the court that they had given a detailed report on the incident to the rights panel.
The high court directed the NHRC to file its status report in the case by March 4. It also asked the rights panel what enquiry has it conducted in this case so far.
Delhi Police in an affidavit informed the court that Delhi's lieutenant governor had refused to institute a magisterial enquiry into the shootout.
Delhi Police gunned down two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists, Atif Ameen and Mohd Sajid, in a gun battle and arrested Mohammed Saif and Zeeshan for the Sep 13 serial bombings in the capital city.
Prashant Bhusan appearing as defence counsel said that the NHRC was concerned only to see if its guidelines were followed by the police in investigating the case.
Bhushan said the police were still not following the NHRC guidelines and the case was investigated by the same team which conducted the shootout at L-18, Batla House, in south Delhi on Sep 19 last year.
Counsel also questioned the role of police and asked why they had not made adequate arrangements when the team went to arrest suspected terrorists hiding there and how two of the accused managed to flee, if they had indeed done so.
Bhushan demanded an independent enquiry into the shootout.
During the hearing, the court slammed Delhi Police for leaking information and also a section of the media for carrying an "exclusive interview" of those arrested after the shootout.
"The media has freedom of expression but in matters like this, media has a responsibility and they should come out clean on the matter," said Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah.
He said that the media must tell the truth as to how the reporter who interviewed three of the accused in the case managed to speak to them in custody.