Prayagraj (UP), April 11 The Allahabad High Court has expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation and the state's evidence in a 2009 custodial death case in the Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh.
A bench of justices Atul Sreedharan and Siddhartha Nandan warned that if relevant video and photographs are not presented to the court, the only option left to it will be to seek assistance from the CBI to recover the crucial evidence.
The order was passed while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Association for Advocacy and Legal Initiatives.
The court, in its order dated April 7, noted that crucial facts, including video and photo evidence of the incident, are missing.
The court observed, "If, by the next date of hearing, the video and photographs relevant to this case are not presented to this court, the only other option left to this court is to seek assistance from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to recover the crucial evidence in this case, which will be considered on the next date of hearing."
"The chain of evidence is unclear, casting doubt on the fairness of the investigation," the court added.
The court also directed the then sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Karmendra Singh of Mainpuri to file his affidavit strictly in accordance with the order dated February 9, failing which, it said, it shall consider taking appropriate action against him.
The court asked Singh to provide a precise answer on the fate of the video recording which was done in his presence.
The court fixed May 5 as the next date of hearing in the matter.