Kerala HC dismisses plea seeking CBI probe into missing police rifles, bullets case

The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed a petition, seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a case related to 25 INSAS rifles and 12,061 live cartridges missing from the Special Armed Police Battalion (SAPB) in Thiruvananthapuram.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice M Mkumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly dismissed the petition filed by one Ramachandra Kaimal, a native of Kerala's Changanassery.

The plea submitted that the current police probe into the matter will not be able to bring out the truth and added that a CBI investigation is necessary.

The state government, on the other hand, opposed the demand for a CBI probe in the matter and said that the investigation by the Crime Branch of Kerala Police was progressing.

Earlier, another petition filed by an activist named George Vattakulam in the matter was also dismissed by the high court.

A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on the audit of modernisation of weapons in Kerala Police had found that 25 rifles and 12,061 live cartridges had gone missing from the SAPB.

The audit also observed that the Stock Register and related records of arms and ammunition in the SAPB were not properly maintained.

"The joint verification conducted by Audit in the Bell-of-Arms of SAPB along with the Assistant Commandant revealed a shortage of 25 Nos. of 5.56 mm INSAS rifles and 12,061 live cartridges," CAG had said in its report.

( With inputs from ANI )