CIC seeks details of Batla encounter

The CIC has asked Delhi Police to submit all documents pertaining to the Batla House encounter before it by Thursday, to decide whether the information can be disclosed to a RTI applicant or not.

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked Delhi Police to submit all documents pertaining to the Batla House encounter before it by Thursday, to decide whether the information can be disclosed to a RTI applicant or not.

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A bench comprising Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah and Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has asked a representative of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, to present the documents before the commission on March 5 .

Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan had filed an Right to Information application with the Delhi Police, seeking post-mortem reports of the three persons killed in the encounter, including Delhi Police inspector M.C. Sharma, and the copy of the FIR lodged by the Special Cell with the Jamia Nagar police station.

Bhushan is representing one of the suspected terrorists Zia Ur Rehman, son of the caretaker of L-18 Batla House, where the encounter took place. Rehman is claimed to have been arrested by the Special Cell after the encounter for alleged involvement in the serial blasts.

Delhi Police, however, denied the documents sought on the grounds that investigation has not been completed.

The CIC said it would decide whether or not to disclose the contents after inspecting of the documents.