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2021 Jaunpur custodial death: Allahabad HC denies bail to four cops
In his September 30 order, Justice Samit Gopal cited allegations mentioned in CBI chargesheet that the accused cops caused grievous injuries to Krishna Kumar Yadav alias Pujari
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The Allahabad high court has rejected bail applications of four Uttar Pradesh police personnel accused in the 2021 Jaunpur custodial death case.
In his September 30 order, Justice Samit Gopal cited the allegations mentioned in the CBI chargesheet that the accused cops caused grievous injuries to Krishna Kumar Yadav alias Pujari, 24, to extract a confession. The injuries led to his death.
The CBI alleged that false records were created to portray Yadav’s death as resulting from an accident or assault by unknown persons rather than physical torture in police custody.
The court rejected the bail applications of Jaysheel Tiwari, Ramkrit Yadav, Raj Kumar Verma and Angad Prasad Chaudhary, who were among the police personnel charge-sheeted by the CBI in connection with Krishna Yadav’s death in police custody in February 2021.
The chargesheet was filed against 11 police personnel for offences under Sections 302 (murder), 34 (common intention, section 120-B (conspiracy) and other sections of the IPC. The Special CBI Judge in Lucknow subsequently framed charges on September 18, 2024.
Earlier, an FIR was lodged on February 12, 2021, under sections 302 (murder) and other sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Baksa police station of Jaunpur district.
According to the FIR, Krishna Kumar Yadav was allegedly taken from his house around 3 am on February 11, 2021, by the special operations group (SOG) team and the then Baksa SHO Ajai Kumar Singh along with other police personnel.
The informant alleged that later that night, police personnel returned with Krishna, who was allegedly unable to stand and shouted to his mother to save him, saying that the police would kill him. The family was subsequently informed that Krishna had died in police custody.
A division bench of the Allahabad high court on September 8, 2021 directed to transfer the investigation of the case to the CBI. The CBI subsequently registered its own FIR and filed a chargesheet against eleven police personnel.
The CBI relied upon opinion of an AIIMS, New Delhi medical board, which opined that Yadav had suffered multiple blunt-force injuries and that the cause of death was shock due to cumulative effects of multiple blunt force injuries sustained to the body. The Board said the injuries were ante mortem, fresh and sufficient to cause death.
In this bail rejection order, the court also considered the Supreme Court’s March 12, 2024 order cancelling the bail granted to a co-accused Jitendra Singh. The Supreme Court had observed that the case involved an allegation of custodial death against a member of the police force and that a stricter approach was warranted while considering bail.
