New Delhi, July 21 . The Supreme Court today ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged custodial torture of police constable Khursheed Ahmed Chauhan at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, and directed immediate arrest of the police officers responsible for the abuse.
A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta also ordered the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to pay Rs 50 lakh as compensation to Chauhan for the gross violation of his fundamental rights.
The court was hearing Chauhan’s plea challenging the Jammu and Kashmir High Court’s refusal to quash an FIR registered against him under Section 309 I. for attempt to commit suicide.
Chauhan alleged that he was subjected to inhuman and degrading torture, including mutilation of his private parts, during an illegal six-day detention from February 20 to 26, 2023, at JIC Kupwara.
Setting aside the High Court’s decision, Justice Mehta, who authored the judgment, held that the continuation of criminal proceedings against Chauhan would be a travesty of justice and quashed the FIR.
The court took strong exception to the custodial violence he suffered, directing the CBI to conduct not only an inquiry into the specific abuse but also into systemic issues at the Joint Interrogation Centre that enabled such violations.
Emphasising the need to examine institutional failings that foster a climate of impunity, the court mandated that the officers allegedly involved be arrested within one month and that the investigation be completed within three months from the date of FIR registration.
. SNG PRS
