SC declines to entertain PIL against DSP for torturing Afzal

New Delhi, Mar 2 (UNI) The Supreme Court today declined to entertain a PIL seeking registration of a case against a DSP of Special Task Force (STF), who had confessed in a TV interview that he had tortured Mohammad Afzal Guru, awarded death sentence in the Parliament attack case.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice R V Raveendaran severely reprimanded the petitioner, Centre for PIL for filing a frivolous PIL.

Earlier, Prashant Bhushan, counsel for the petitioner organisation had pleaded that appropriate case should be registered against STF DSP Davinder Singh as he had confessed that he had tortured Afzal to force him reveal his connections with a hardcore militant Gazi Baba.

Bhushan submitted that no accused can be subjected to torture while in police custody and appropriate criminal action should be initiated against the respondent.

The court, however, countered the petitioner's counsel on whether any police complaint was lodged by Afzal or if he ever mentioned about the torture before any court right from trial up to this court.

It further said that this court cannot issue a mandamus to the J&K police to register a case against a police officer when the victim has never raised his voice against the alleged tortue.

At this, the petitioner sought court's permission to withdraw the petition.

The court then granted the permission and the petition was dismissed as withdrawn.

UNI