Dubey was a prime accused in the killing of eight police personnel who were part of the team that had gone to Bikru village in Kanpur to arrest Dubey in an attempt to murder case on July 2.

The Supreme Court Tuesday hinted that it will appoint a committee to inquire into the killing of gangster Vikas Dubey and his associates in alleged encounters by the Uttar Pradesh Police.

“We will tell you what we are going to do. This is something we have already done in the Hyderabad matter,” Chief Justice of India S A Bobde, heading a three-judge Bench, said as two petitions seeking a court-monitored probe into the deaths came up.

On December 12, 2019, the Supreme Court had ordered an inquiry by a three-member commission headed by its former judge Justice V S Sirpurkar into “circumstances in which” four men accused of raping and killing a veterinary surgeon had been killed in an “encounter” with the police a few days earlier. The Bench, also comprising Justices R Subhash Reddy and A S Bopanna, however added on Tuesday that it did not intend to monitor the probe as it would then make it impossible for court to hear appeals.

Appearing for the UP government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the state had taken steps in the matter. The Bench allowed time till Thursday for the state to file a reply. It will next take up the matter on July 20. One of the petitioners is advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay, who had filed a plea raising the apprehension Dubey might be killed in an encounter.