Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf Ahmed’s sister, Aisha Noori, has moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction for an independent probe into the state-sponsored killing of her two brothers, who were allegedly gunned down by assailants while in the custody of the Uttar Pradesh police. This incident took place on April 15 in Prayagraj in full view of media persons and was subsequently aired on news channels, leading to a lot of public debate. Atiq Ahmed, a gangster-turned-politician, has dozens of cases, including kidnapping, murder, and extortion, registered against him over the past two decades, and he has been sentenced to life in jail in a kidnapping case. A similar petition filed in public interest by Advocate Vishal Tiwari is also pending before the apex court seeking an independent inquiry into the killings of the Ahmad brothers, which was caught on live television, and 183 other encounter killings in the state of UP since 2017.
Noori has sought an independent probe into the custodial and extrajudicial killings of her brothers and other family members just a few days apart from each other, allegedly carried out by high-level state agents who have orchestrated a campaign to kill, arraign, arrest, and harass members of her family as part of a ‘vendetta.’ She claims that the respondents (UP and Central govts) are responsible for the deaths and that the police authorities are enjoying the full support of the Uttar Pradesh Government, which appears to have granted them complete impunity to carry out their actions.
Furthermore, Noori has emphasized that the rights of her family members under Article 21 of the Constitution would stand violated in the absence of such a comprehensive and independent inquiry. She argued that it casts a positive procedural obligation on state authorities to investigate effectively into the deaths.
In a similar petition, the Supreme Court has sought a ‘comprehensive affidavit’ from the Uttar Pradesh government on the steps taken to enquire into the killings.
The matter would be heard by the top court soon, given the sensitivity and importance of the questions raised by the petitioner, according to sources in the Supreme Court Registry.
This case highlights the importance of human rights and the need for an independent enquiry to ensure that justice is served for all, irrespective of their backgrounds or criminal history. It is important for the authorities to uphold the rights of individuals, and initiate an impartial investigation to bring justice to those affected.
