SC may consider appointing panel to probe into Dubey encounter case
   Date :15-Jul-2020
 
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NEW DELHI ;
 
THE Supreme Court on Tuesday said it may consider appointing a committee headed by a former judge to inquire into the encounters of gangster Vikas Dubey and his associates as well as the killing of eight policemen in Uttar Pradesh. The UP Government told a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde that it would file a status report by July 16 detailing the steps taken by the authority on the matter. The apex court was hearing the pleas on the incidents, including those seeking a court-monitored probe into the encounters. The bench, also comprising Justices R S Reddy and A S Bopanna, observed that monitoring of investigation is something which the court is very reluctant to do.
 
The bench said it may consider doing something similar to what was done in the case of encounter of four accused in the gangrape-and-murder case of a veterinarian in Telangana. It had appointed an inquiry commission headed by a former apex court judge. “List these matters on July 20. The petitioners-in-person are directed to serve a copy of their respective petition upon Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General appearing for the respondent(s), forthwith,” the bench noted in its order. It said that Mehta, who was appearing for Uttar Pradesh, “may file reply affidavit” on the pleas by July 16. An aide of gangster Vikas Dubey has been arrested and two rifles of the Uttar Pradesh police looted during the Kanpur ambush earlier this month have been recovered, police said on Tuesday.
 
With this, all weapons looted during the ambush have been recovered, they said. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said Dubey’s aide Shashikant alias Sonu Pandey was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on him. Eight policemen, including DSP Devendra Mishra, were ambushed in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Dubey and fell to bullets fired from rooftops shortly after midnight on July 3.
 
Dubey ordered firing at police team in Bikru village: Arrested aide: Following his arrest on Tuesday, Vikas Dubey’s alleged aide Shashikant alias Sonu Pandey denied killing DSP Devendra Mishra and said the slain gangster had ordered the firing at the police team that raided his house on the night intervening July 2 and 3. Pandey made claims to a TV news channel while being taken away by police after his arrest. On being asked who killed DSP Mishra, he told the new channel that he did not kill him.