The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday expressed its dissatisfaction with a report filed by the Andhra Pradesh Police about the gunning down of 20 alleged red sanders smugglers in Sheshachalm forest of Chittoor district on April 7. The HC directed State Director General of Police JV Ramudu to submit a more detailed report.
On the other hand, the Madras High Court on Friday refused to order re-post-mortem of the bodies of the six victims from Tamil Nadu who were shot dead by the Andhra Pradesh Police on the morning of April 7.
Justice M Sathyanarayanan ordered that the bodies to be preserved till April 17. In its report, the AP Police that has been accused of gunning down 20 people in the fake encounter, said a magisterial enquiry was ordered into the incident and the National Human Rights Commission has also issued a notice to the State Government.
The HC fixed the next hearing of the case on April 13. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, whose Government was facing flak over the killing, wrote a letter to Tamil Nadu Government headed by O Panneerselvam defending the police action.
He explained the measures his government was taking to stop the smuggling of Red Sanders and sought the cooperation of the neighbouring state.
On the allegations that it was a case of fake encounter, Naidu wrote that a magisterial inquiry was underway to establish the facts. He said the government will take necessary action after receiving the report.
Naidu’s letter was in response to the letter written by Tamil Nadu CM in which he had alleged that that the Andhra Pradesh police had shot dead the labourers from Tamil Nadu after arresting them.
While directing the authorities to preserve the 20 bodies till April 17, Madras High court judge Justice Sathyanarayanan said, “There is no jurisdiction for this court to pass any order on re-postmortem because already Andhra Pradesh High Court is seized of the matter and there is a PIl pending in the Supreme Court... This court cannot pass any order as there is no FIR filed in the jurisdiction of this court.”
Justice Sathyanarayanan on Thursday had adjourned the case till Friday following a request from K Balu, counsel for Muniammal of Polur of Thiruvannamalai district, wife of one of the victims.
She had sought a re-postmortem on the body of her husband killed in the alleged encounter as there were injury and burn marks on the body as well as bullet injuries.
The judge said the petitioner was at liberty to approach the Andhra Pradesh High Court or Supreme Court in this regard.
Balu submitted that the bodies be preserved till a decision was taken by the petitioners on approaching the Andhra Pradesh High Court or Supreme Court. Following this, the judge adjourned the case to April 17. Balu told The Pioneer that he would move either the Supreme Court or the AP High Court on Monday.
The bodies are being preserved in a mortuary in Thiruvannamalai District Headquarters government hospital, about 170 km from Chennai. As protest continued in Tamli Nadu over the incident and people from AP were selectively targeted , the DMK announced a cash solatium of Rs one lakh each to the families of the alleged red sanders smugglers gunned down by the AP Police.
M Karunanidhi, the DMK chief, said at Chennai that the amount would be handed over to the families of the victims by senior leaders of the party. The DMK move follows by the announcement by arch rival J Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK general secretary, who announced on Thursday that her party would hand over Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the victims. Tamil Nadu government had announced a cash relief of Rs 3 lakh to the families of the victims on Tuesday itself.
In another development, the PMK, which has cobbled up an alliance for contesting the next assembly elections scheduled for 2016, asked the Tamil Nadu government to launch a detailed investigation into the status of the people who had left the State to work as daily wage earners in Andhra Pradesh.