Azad Encounter: SC Orders CBI Probe

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) to complete its investigation into the deaths of Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad and journalist Hemchandra Pandey, and to submit its report within 3 months.

The court has also directed the CBI to file a report on the progress of its investigations within 6 weeks.

Earlier, social activist Swami Agnivesh, and Hemchandra Pandey's widow Babita had filed a petition stating that they suspected that the Maoist and the scribe were murdered in cold blood, and that their killing was covered up as an "encounter". Following the allegation, the Andhra Pradesh government had told the apex court that it had no objections if the investigation into the encounter was handed over to the CBI.

Terming the encounter as "fake", the social activist and the scribe's widow had sought a judicial probe into it.

Azad and Pandey were killed in what the state police called an encounter, in the early hours of July 2, 2010. The state government had denied that the encounter was fake, and had mentioned in its affidavit that the Naxalite and the scribe had lost their lives in an exchange of gunfire.

Earlier, on April 15th, the state government, through its counsel Harish Salve, had told the Bench of justices Aftab Alam and R M Lodha that the state government was agreeable for the CBI probe. The Centre and the AP governments had, on March 31st, expressed their objection against a judicial probe into the alleged encounter.

Even earlier, on January 14th, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the Central and state governments based on the petitions filed by Swami Agnivesh and Babita for a judicial probe into the case.

They had pointed out to the court that the post-mortem reports and a fact-finding exercise by the Civil Rights groups had clearly indicated that the encounter was fake.

Another discrepancy in the police version was that the police had identified the slain Maoist and journalist, but while filing the FIR, the deceased were mentioned as "unidentified". (INN)