Naxal encounter: Notice to TN Govt

Chennai, Apr 24 (UNI) The Madras High Court today ordered notice to the Tamil Nadu Home Secretary, DGP and DSP Q branch, Dindugal district, on a Habeas Corpus petition filed by a lady lawyer to produce a naxalite before the court, in the wake of the gunning down of an outlaw in an encounter by the police at Kodaikanal.

A Division Bench, comprising Mr Justices P K Mishra and M Sathyanarayanan, directed the authorities concerned to file a counter on April 28.

In her petitions, Ms Senkodi submitted that two naxals, Naveen and Viswanathan alias Viswalingam, were arrested by the police on April 12. Subsequently, Naveen was shot dead at point blank range by the police a week later.

Apprehending that Viswanathan could also meet with the same fate, she sought a direction to the police to produce him before the court and set him at liberty.

She also prayed for a direction to the Q Branch Police and the Dharmapuri District Collector to conduct a second post-mortem on the body of Naveen in the presence of an independent doctor and videograph it.

Another petitioner Kesavan submitted that Viswanathan, Sekar, Chandra and Kalidas were taken by the police and their whereabouts were not known. The petitioner sought the court to direct the police to produce them before it.

UNI XR GD JT HT2155