The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an inquiry into a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the alleged custodial torture of a police constable at Joint Inquiry Center in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir in February 2023.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta also ordered that the responsible police officers should be arrested within a month.
The court also ordered police constables, Khurshid Ahmed Chauhan to pay Rs 50 lakh in compensation. It also dismissed an attempt-to-suicide case registered against Chauhan under the Indian Penal Code Section 309.
Chauhan transferred the Supreme Court after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court refused to cancel the first information report (FIR) in the attempt-to-suicide case. He alleged that he was rejected to torture during illegal detention from 20 February to 26, 2023 at the inquiry center.
Allowing its appeal, the Supreme Court said that permission to continue criminal proceedings would be a visit to justice.
Directing the CBI probe on torture charges, the Supreme Court also said whether structural or institutional failures had inspired the alleged misuse of the “systemic issues” prevalent at the inquiry center in Kupwara.
The bench directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to complete the investigation within three months from the date of registration of an FIR.
Torture check India
