Encounter killings: SC brushes aside allegation of Gujarat govt

The remarks were made by the bench during the hearing of the petitions in which it appointed former apex court judge justice H S Bedi as the Chairman of the monitoring authority looking into the investigations of 22 cases of alleged encounter killings in Gujarat between 2002 to 2006.

Gujarat’s Additional Advocate General Tushar Mehta had argued that the court should show similar anxiety in hearing cases of human rights violations and encounter killings in other states.

He submitted the approach of court should not be different for one state and petitioners should not be permitted to be selective for one state and the same approach should be towards other states on identical matter.

“Let us not be selective in implementation of human rights issue,qua one state,” Mehta said and added there was a need to go into encounter killings in other states also.

The bench also declined the plea of Gujarat government to wait till March 12 as it was trying to sort out the issue relating to the appointment of chairman of the monitoring authority.

“We have something in our mind and wait till March 12,we will file an affidavit,” Mehta submitted.

However,the bench said “we will not permit to file affidavit at this stage”.