By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Mumbai :
The Bombay High Court has directed the state government to take a decision to file chargesheet against the police officers indicted in the custodial killing of Ghatkopar bombing accused Khwaja Yunus and inform the Court accordingly by October 20.
Earlier, on September 3, a division bench of Justices R M S Khandeparkar and Vijaya Kapse-Tahilramani of the Bombay High Court slammed the Maharashtra government for not disclosing proceedings at a magisterial court in the Khwaja Yunus case. "The court has been taken for a ride throughout," said Justice Khandeparkar, when the public prosecutor read out the affidavit by the Home department, stating that until ‘B-summary’ proceedings at Parner court get over, government cannot decide on whether to prosecute police officers in connection with Yunus’ alleged custodial death.
Yunus, a young software engineer, arrested in connection with the December 2002 Ghatkopar blasts, died due to alleged police torture in January 2003. However, police say he fled when the jeep taking him to Aurangabad met with an accident at Parner in Ahmednagar district.
The then PSI Sachin Vaze had filed complaint in Parner police station about the mishap and Khwaja’s alleged escape. When the CID started probe into Khwaja’s disappearance, it filed what is called ‘B-summary’ – a report stating that the complaint is maliciously false, so it should be withdrawn. In effect, CID said Vaze’s complaint was false. Vaze was later suspended.
The High Court, on the last occasion, had directed the Parner court to decide about ‘B Summary’ proceedings within a period of four weeks.
The Bombay High Court issued the latest direction to the Maharashtra government Monday, when the Central Investigation Department (CID) officers informed it that the Parner court, in the light of available proofs and witnesses, rejected the "escape story" in the complaint filed by Sachin Vaze.
Legal experts take this ‘B Summary’ as a great success in the Khwaja Yunus case as this would lead to filing of chargesheet against the indicted police officers.