‘Cold-blooded murders, police ought not have done it’: Ex-Kerala HC judge on Hyderabad ‘encounter’
B. Kemal Pasha, former
judge of the Kerala High Court on Friday used strong language to condemn
the police encounter in Hyderabad in which four men, accused of
raping and killing a 27-year-old veterinary doctor, were shot dead by security
forces in the early hours of the day. The retired judge said that the common
man has lost faith in the country’s judicial system.
Speaking to indianexpress.com over phone, the
retired judge said, “I cannot call it an encounter. I feel these are
cold-blooded murders. Even though it is the will of the people, the police
ought not to have done it.” He continued,
“Initially, the police turned a deaf ear to the persons who complained that the
woman is missing. Later when her mutilated body was found, people began to get
violent and the police wanted to save their skin. Maybe that’s why they were
shot dead. It is not the punishment prescribed under the Indian penal system. I
want the accused to be given the maximum punishment of the land too, but this
is not the way it has to be executed.”
The retired jurist
said the police may have resorted to shooting the accused dead, as they knew
the will of the people. When asked if the incident would open the police up
to investigation
and scrutiny, the judge said, “They are least bothered. They know
people would not condemn them and that’s the reason they dared to do it. The
people of Telangana are very happy, but this is a dangerous situation. Police
may think since it is the will of the people, they can do anything.”
Justice Pasha, who
retired in May 2018 after sitting on the bench of the Kerala HC in Kochi for
nearly four years, is extremely vocal on social issues in the state and beyond....
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/these-are-cold-blooded-murders-police-following-will-of-people-ex-kerala-hc-judge-on-hyderabad-encounter-6154057/
