CP fake encounter case: SC verdict tomorrow

The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on Monday in the 1997 Connaught Place fake encounter case in which 10 policemen including an Assistant Police Commissioner were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court

The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on Monday in the 1997 Connaught Place fake encounter case in which 10 policemen including an Assistant Police Commissioner were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court.

HT Image

A bench of justices HS Bedi and CK Prasad will pass its judgement on a bunch of appeals filed by the convicts in the case, including the dismissed Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner SS Rathi, challenging the High Court's verdict.

The high court had on September 18, 2009 upheld the conviction and life sentence of the 10 policemen for the killing of two Haryana-based businessmen due to mistaken identity at Connaught Place here.

The high court concurred with the trial court judgement of October 24, 2007 holding them guilty of murder.

The other nine convicts are Inspector Anil Kumar, Sub-Inspector Ashok Rana, Head Constables Shiv Kumar, Tejpal Singh and Mahavir Singh and Constables Sumer Singh, Subhash Chand, Sunil Kumar and Kothari Ram.

A Delhi Police Crime Branch team led by encounter specialist Rathi had on March 31, 1997 fired indiscriminately on a car after suspecting that the businessmen were Uttar Pradesh—based gangsters wanted by the police.