SC adjourns to Oct 7 hearing on plea seeking fresh guidelines on deaths, rapes in police custody

The Supreme Court on Monday deferred for October 7 hearing on a batch of petitions urging it to lay fresh guidelines to fill the legal lacunae surrounding custodial deaths, torture and rape in police custody.

A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice UU Lalit, said it will hear the matter on October 7.

A batch of petitions were filed in the apex court seeking fresh guidelines in wake of the custodial torture and death of father-son duo, P Jayaraj and J Bennix, who were detained by the Sathankulam Police in Tamil Nadu on June 19 for keeping their mobile phone shop open beyond the permissible hours during the COVID-19 lockdown.

One of the petitioners, an NGO named People's Charioteer Orgsation, sought directions to the Central government to form an independent committee, monitored by the Supreme Court, which can review the existing legal framework around custodial deaths, tortures and rapes.

"Central government to form an Independent Committee monitored by this court consisting of members from all the relevant departments/ministries which can review the entire legal framework and find pitfalls in the existing legal framework in order to curb the menace of custodial torture/deaths/rapes, so as to enable rehauling of the legislative mechsms in consonance with the guidelines laid down by this Court with due regard to the recommendations of the Law Commission(s) International Legal Regime," the plea said.

It said that this incident has "traumatised" all those who respect the rule of law and personal liberty in the country.

The plea contended that there is the urgent need for "institutional correctives within the policing system" in this country and the acute need for India to enact a strong law to prohibit and prosecute cases of torture and custodial deaths, in fulfillment of its legal obligations, both national and international, to guarantee protection to the right to life.

"It sends an unfortunate chilling message about how broken the system is and the failure of police and political leaders to establish accountability measures for those who are found guilty of custodial crimes," it added.

The plea further added that the custodial torture, deaths and rapes are a chilling reminder of how the excessive use of force has become a routine in India leading to deaths.

( With inputs from ANI )