Advocate B. Chandrasekhar of Guntur will, within two days, file another case with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), requesting it to reopen the encounter cases that it had recently declared fake.
This case will invoke Section 18(b) of the Protection of Human Rights Act of 1993, seeking the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission for the prosecution of the police officials, such as senior IPS officer P.S.R. Anjaneyalu and others, who committed extra judicial killings in the guise of encounters.
The petitioner will also ask the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each victim’s family, including three families that were denied earlier by the NHRC.
When erring police officials were able to get off without punishment for their misdeeds then the kin of victims ought to get the compensation due to them, he said.
Encounters to get promotions, says PIL
Counsel alleged that 19 encounters in the state were under the scanner of the National Human Rights Commission and the rights body “prima facie” had held that at least 16 of them were fake.
While adjourning the hearing on a public interest litigation filed by R. Chandrashekhar Reddy, on which notices had been issued earlier, the top court told counsel for the state government that “very serious things are being said against the persons who had fought the naxalites.”
Mr Chandrashekhar Reddy in his PIL had alleged that police officials in Andhra Pradesh were involved in several fake encounters to get “decoration and out-of-turn promotions”.
The disturbing trend started after the state government had introduced a policy of 'accelerated promotions' in November 2001 for outstanding performance by police personnel in their operations against Maoists, the PIL had said.