The Hyderabad High Court on Friday directed the government to preserve the bodies of the Maoists killed in Friday’s encounter in proper condition. A division bench of the High Court comprising acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Vijaya Laxmi, gave the directions after hearing a lunch motion moved by a civil rights body, that the autopsy of the bodies should be conducted by two doctors.
The High Court ordered that one of the doctors conducting post mortem examination (PME) must be either in-charge or head of the district hospital. “The bench said the PME must be video-graphed,” lawyer Raghunath, who moved the lunch motion on behalf of Civil Liberties Committee President Gaddam Laxman, said.
Fingerprints of the slain Maoists should be sent for forensic analysis, the bench instructed. The lawyer presented to the court that families of the slain Maoists were not informed about the deaths and normally the police compel the families to complete final rites hurriedly.
The High Court said the bodies should be handed over to the respective families on completion of the PME. In the Public Interest Litigation petition filed by the CLC, it was charged that police deliberately didn’t disclose names of slain Maoists to ensure that that latter’s families didn’t rush to hospital and see the bodies.
The petitioner requested the High Court to direct the government to shift the bodies from Bhadrachalam to either the Osmania General Hospital or Mahatma Gandhi Memorial hospital in Warangal for the autopsy. The petitioner also requested the High Court to direct the government to register a case of murder under Section 302 of Indian Penal Code in connection with the encounter.
Telangana Advocate General contended that the Hyderabad High Court lacked territorial jurisdiction to entertain the petition as the exchange of fire was reported in Ussur police station area of Bijapur district of Chattisgarh. The Advocate General presented to the court that at the request of Chattisgarh, the bodies were brought to Bhadrachalam for conducting autopsy.
