VIJAYAWADA: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the High Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged custodial death of rowdysheeter Gade Sai Krishna on Monday. The petition was filed on Monday by Dadisetti Veerababu, Joint Secretary of the Society for Protection of Civil Property and Environmental Rights.
In his petition, Veerababu urged the court to direct the preservation of all records related to the case. He alleged that government officials and police authorities had shown negligence in investigating the incident and argued that the failure to conduct a transparent investigation amounted to a violation of the constitutional rights to equality, life and personal liberty.
The petitioner requested the court to declare the police actions arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional and sought directions for a CBI inquiry into the role of all persons directly or indirectly involved in the case. He contended that local police were not conducting a fair investigation and that only a CBI probe could ensure that the truth emerges.
The petition also sought immediate preservation of CCTV footage, station records, call data records, mobile phone and location data, hospital and post-mortem records, forensic materials and police vehicle movement logs. It further requested that no police officer connected to the incident be allowed to participate in or supervise the investigation.
Veerababu cited Supreme Court judgments stating that investigations can be transferred to the CBI when allegations are made against police personnel and there is a reasonable apprehension that a local investigation may not be impartial.
The petition alleged that Sai Krishna was taken into custody by Vijayawada Task Force police on May 9 in connection with a non-bailable warrant and was subsequently subjected to illegal detention and custodial torture. It further alleged