Justice Sirpurkar Commission completes collection of records

Probe into encounter killings of four persons in Disha gang-rape and murder case

Justice Sirpurkar Commission — constituted by the Supreme Court in encounter killings by the Cyberabad police of four persons, accused of gang rape and murder of a young veterinary doctor in December 2019 — has completed the collection of records and is moving onto evidence recording phase. As many as 1,333 affidavits from the general public, 103 affidavits from the police officials, witnesses, doctors and other government officials were received. Voluminous records of the investigation by the SIT, Call Detail Records, medical reports, forensic and ballistic reports and other records were collected, an official release issued by District Judge and Secretary S. Sasidhar Reddy said. The Commission held 16 virtual hearings and passed orders in 24 applications filed by the police officials involved in the incident. Hearings were also held on questions of procedure. The three-member commission has considered the records collected and held that the oral evidence of witnesses has to be recorded. “Considering the gravity of the issue under inquiry and the sensitive nature of the evidence, the commission is of the opinion that witnesses have to be examined in physical presence,” he said. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to conduct physical hearings in Hyderabad. The High Court for the State of Telangana has functioned virtually till recently and the trial courts were directed to conduct hearings in a very restricted manner. Even now the High Court and trial courts are functioning in a restricted manner, he said. “Having considered all these circumstances and reviewing the records has resolved to commence hearings in a hybrid form wherein, some witnesses will be examined in the physical presence of the commission and some witnesses will be examined in the virtual presence of the commission,” Mr. Reddy said.