Telangana HC asks police to preserve bodies of Maoists killed in encounter

The police were also directed to allow the family members and relatives of the Maoists to see the bodies.

By LEGAL CORRESPONDENT

Hyderabad: In a significant development related to Sunday’s Mulugu encounter, the Telangana High Court on Monday issued directions to the State police to preserve the bodies of the slain Maoists till the next hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

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Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy, who is hearing the case, also granted permission to Kalavala Ilamma, the wife of one of the deceased, Mallaiah, to view her husband’s body. The case involves allegations that Mallaiah and six other individuals were unlawfully killed in a staged encounter by the police. The deceased were identified as Mallaiah, Kursum Mangu Alia Badru (alias Papanna), Karunakar, Jamuna, Jaisingh, Kishore, and Kamesh. Ilamma accused the police of poisoning the victims, torturing them, and then executing them in a fake encounter.

The petitioner’s counsel, D. Suresh, made a series of allegations in court. He argued that Mallaiah and the other victims had been poisoned through food before being taken into police custody, tortured, and later shot dead. Suresh emphasized the need for an forensic examination to verify the presence of poison in the bodies. He specifically requested that an expert forensic team from Warangal MGM Hospital conduct the necessary tests, as opposed to the police’s plan to perform the post-mortem at a primary health centre in Eturunagaram. Suresh further pointed out that photographs of the bodies clearly showed bullet injuries as well as other signs of torture. He questioned why the family members were not allowed to participate in the body inquest procedure, asserting that the law entitles the family to be present and have their statements recorded.

In response, Government Pleader for the Home Department, Mahesh Raje, told the court that the post-mortem was almost complete at the area hospital in Eturunagaram. He stated that due to law and order issues in Warangal, a team of expert doctors had been dispatched to Eturunagaram to conduct the post-mortem. Mahesh also claimed that Ilamma had been allowed to view her husband’s body, a statement which was quickly contested by the petitioner’s counsel. Suresh raised concerns about the police’s refusal to allow the bodies to be moved to a better-equipped hospital in Warangal, questioning why the police were not facilitating such a transfer if the encounter was indeed legitimate.

When Justice Vijaysen Reddy suggested that the bodies be shifted to a specialized hospital for proper preservation, the Government Pleader vehemently opposed the idea. Instead, Mahesh assured the court that the police would arrange for the necessary freezing facilities at the Eturunagaram hospital. Justice Vijaysen Reddy then ordered the police to preserve the bodies until further orders and to ensure that appropriate arrangements for their preservation were made. The court has scheduled the next hearing for Tuesday, during which it will examine the post-mortem report and decide on further actions.