HC oders probe into custodial death case

New Delhi, Aug 23 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today directed the Delhi police to file an FIR into the custodial death of a 19-year-old man in Adarsh Nagar police station on September 13 last year.

A division bench comprising Justices R S Sodhi and P K Bhasin said, ''The matter must be investigated by the crime branch and monitored by Deputy Commissioner of Police.'' The court had taken suo motu notice of Sunil Kumar's death which was reported by a daily on September 14. According to the report, Kumar was taken into custody at Adarsh Nagar police station on Septemer 12 at 2130 hrs and was found dead the next morning at about 0330 hrs.

It was reported that he had committed suicide inside his prison cell. A magesterial probe was ordered, the report added.

However, the court today said,''We find no FIR, no investigation by the police into the unnatural death. The state counsel is vehement that on the basis of the facts disclosed during the enquiry by ADM, no offence was made and no FIR was lodged. However, from the photographs filed by state counsel, we find the deceased virtually sitting on the ground. Posture of the deceased and the place of occurrence make suicide appear most unnatural.'' The court in its order also said,''The ADM had found that the deceased had been brought to the police station for no good reason.'' UNI SSS AK RN1846