NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from Centre and states on a petition by human rights activist Suhas Chakma seeking mandatory judicial probe in cases related to death, disappearance and alleged rape in police custody or in jail.
Section 176 (1A) of CrPC states that it is mandatory to conduct a judicial inquiry in cases of death, disappearance or alleged rape in the police, judicial custody.
The plea said ensuring judicial probes into loss of life or vanishing of a person or alleged sexual assault in detention is definitely an arduous challenge and a daunting political fight. It referred to the NCRB annual reports which recorded death or disappearance of 1,303 people in police custody from 2005 to 2017.