HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed the State home secretary to provide security to the four eyewitnesses named by the petitioner in the alleged fake encounter of Punnam Lingaiah alias Linganna at Rallagadda village in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district on July 31 this year.
Further, the bench directed the judicial magistrate concerned to record the statements of these eyewitnesses under Section 164 CrPC and such statements should be submitted to the court by August 28. The bench passed this order in a 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 fake encounter.
The bench directed the home secretary to provide security to the four eyewitnesses and that the magistrate concerned to record their statements and to submit the same before it by August 28. The bench posted the matter to August 30.