The Hindu : SC raps U.P. officials for custodial deaths

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 11, 2003

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SC raps U.P. officials for custodial deaths

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI Feb. 10. Taking a serious view of the human rights violations in Uttar Pradesh, the Supreme Court today pulled up the State Home Secretary, the Inspector-General and the Additional Director-General (Human Rights) and granted them 10 days' time to respond to a high-level committee report which said that nine custodial deaths had taken place last year.

The Bench, comprising Justice R.C. Lahoti and Justice A.R. Lakshmanan, told the officials: "Don't forget that you all are human beings. Do you realise the consequence of letting loose your forces on human beings like this? Your children and relatives would also suffer and be dealt with in the same manner by the same force''.

Earlier, amicus curiae, A.M. Singhvi, brought to the court's notice a report of the Human Rights Committee headed by Justice A.B. Srivastava narrating the custodial torture and deaths and how the police were hiding them.

Expressing its anguish, the Bench directed the State Government to render all cooperation to the committee without interfering in any manner in its working. "Any hindrance to the working of the committee will be viewed seriously," it said and adjourned the proceedings to March 7.

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