The Commission of Inquiry appointed by the Supreme Court to inquire into the alleged encounter killing of the four accused in the gang rape and murder case of a woman veterinarian in Hyderabad has submitted its report to the apex court. The three-member Commission is headed by former SC judge VS Sirpurkar and includes former Judge of Bombay High Court Justice RP Sondur Baldota and former CBI Director D R Kaarthikeyan. The panel submitted its report on January 28, an official release issued on Monday, January 28, said.
The panel was appointed on December 12, 2019, to inquire into the circumstances in which the four persons — Mohammed Arif, Chintakunta Chennakeshavulu, Jollu Shiva and Jollu Naveen — who were the accused in the case, were killed in Hyderabad on December 6, 2019, while in the custody of the police.
The Commission of Inquiry collected various documentary records, including investigation records, forensic reports, post-mortem reports, photographs and videos, concerning the scene of incident and others, the release said.
The Commission held hearings for 47 days between August 21, 2021 and November 15, 2021. The Commission examined 57 witnesses during this period and recorded their evidence. The hearings were held publicly subject to COVID-19 restrictions.
The advocates for the state of Telangana, the police officials involved in the incident and other interested parties participated in the hearings. The Commission heard oral arguments from all the advocates from November 16, 2021 to November 26, 2021. The panel inspected the various places associated with the incident on December 5, 2021.
After completing the inquiry, the Commission submitted its report before the Supreme Court on January 28, 2022. The woman veterinarian was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and later found murdered in November 2019.