AGRA: The Allahabad high court has slammed the superintendent of police (SP) of Kasganj for failing to file a response to a plea seeking CBI inquiry in the custodial death case of November 2021 in which 22-year-old Mohammad Altaf was found "hanging" from a tap in a local thana's lock-up.
The bench comprising Justices Anjani Kumar Mishra and Deepak Verma said, “In case the affidavit which was called for. . . (on) December 23, 2021 is not available on record by tomorrow (Thursday), this court shall impose a very heavy cost. ”
Altaf had then been accused of kidnapping a Hindu girl. Police claimed at that time that he strangled himself inside the washroom of the lock-up by attaching the drawstring of his jacket to a roughly 3foot-tall tap. However, his family alleged that he was murdered by cops.
The bench listed the matter as the first to be heard on Thursday and asked the state government to explain why the affidavit hadn't been filed yet.
During the hearing on Wednesday, advocate Mohd Kumail Haider, appearing for the victim’s father, urged the court to direct authorities to conduct a second post-mortem. He alleged that the first report appeared to be “dubious” and “manufactured”. The body has been buried for roughly two months now. The court, however, asked Haider to wait until Thursday before pleading for this interim relief.
Haider told TOI, “The petitioner and his family face grave danger from local police authorities. They have no faith in the state police and their investigation. Hence, it is necessary to involve an advanced team of investigators who are not biased. "
