HYDERABAD: A division bench of Telangana High Court on Monday directed the State government to file counter affidavit in a PIL alleging fake police encounter of Punnam Lingaiah alias Linganna at Rallagadda village in Gundala mandal of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district on July 31 this year.
Additional advocate general J Ramachandra Rao placed before the bench the re-postmortem report of Linganna in a sealed cover. The bench was dealing with PIL filed by Prof Gaddam Laxman, president of State Civil Liberties Committee, seeking direction to the Telangana government to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) and probe the alleged encounter incident.
The bench asked the petitioner’s counsel V Raghunath whether there were any eye witnesses to the alleged fake encounter. In reply, Raghunath said that there were two accomplices of Punnam Lingayya on the day of encounter. Out of them, one ias presently lodged in Warangal sub-jail.While adjourning the case hearing, the bench directed the government to file its counter affidavit on the issue and posted the matter to Wednesday for hearing.
‘Two witnesses to incident’
According to petitioner’s counsel V Raghunath, there were two accomplices of Punnam Lingayya on the day of encounter. Out of them, one is presently lodged in Warangal sub-jail