Disha case: SC-constituted commission begins inquiry into encounter deaths

HYDERABAD: The three-member inquiry commission constituted by the Supreme Court in Disha case, on Monday reached Telangana High Court and commenced its task from the chambers allotted to it in ‘C’ block building on court premises.

The commission, led by former Supreme Court judge Justice VS Sirpurkar and comprising former judge of Bombay High Court RP Sondurbaldota and former CBI director DR Karthikeyan, will inquire into the deaths in an encounter with police of four persons accused of raping and murdering Disha on the morning of December 6 last year on the outskirts of Hyderabad city. On December 12, the Apex Court while dealing with cases filed by advocates GS Mani, ML Sharma and MK Sharma on the incident, ordered  constitution of the inquiry commission for inquiring into the circumstances in which four accused persons — Mohammed Arif, Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu, Jolu Shiva and Jollu Naveen — were killed.
The commission should submit its report within a period of six months from the date of first hearing in the matter. The commission’s chairman will fix the first date of hearing at Hyderabad. Secretarial assistance will be chosen by the chairman and provisions will be made by the state government in this regard.

What the Commission will be looking into
As per the Supreme Court direction, the terms of reference of the commission are:
To inquire into alleged encounter on December 6 resulting in death of four persons who were arrested in connection with the rape and murder of a young veterinary doctor, while they were in the custody of police
To inquire into circumstances that led to their death and to ascertain as to whether any offence appears to have been committed during the course
If yes, to fix the responsibility on erring officials