VIJAYAWADA: The High Court has expressed serious displeasure over the manner in which police handled the investigation into the suspicious death of minor boy Syed Toushiq.
Taking note of alleged negligence, the court ordered a change of the investigating officer and issued key directions to the Prakasam district SP V Harshavardhan Raju.
The court directed that the probe be handed over to an Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP). It instructed officials to promptly seize CCTV footage from the school premises, nearby houses, commercial establishments, and local hospitals for February 14 and 15.
Further, the phones of Singarayakonda Circle Inspector Hazrathayya, Sub-Inspector Mahendra, the school correspondent, his son, the warden, and English teachers were ordered to be confiscated. Their call data and messages are to be sent for forensic analysis.
The court also asked authorities to review the role of the circle inspector and sub-inspector and initiate disciplinary action, if lapses are found. Police were directed not to file any charge sheet or final report without prior permission from the court.
The next hearing has been scheduled for April 7, and the SP has been asked to appear in person with a progress report, including reasons for not invoking appropriate sections despite allegations of murder.
The case pertains to the death of 11-year-old Toushiq, a student of Chaitanya Navodaya School in Singarayakonda, who died under suspicious circumstances on February 14. His parents alleged that he was assaulted and murdered by the school correspondent’s son and the warden, accusing the police of portraying it as suicide.
Hearing the petition, the court observed that the parents’ concerns could not be dismissed as baseless. It noted serious lapses, including failure to follow postmortem procedures in the presence of an Executive Magistrate and denial of access to the child’s body. The court said there was sufficient ground for judicial intervention in the matter.