Directs Director General of Police to hand over the case to state crime branch
Srinagar: The High Court ordered reopening of the Tufail
Mattoo killing case, directing the Director General of Police (DGP) to hand over the investigation into the case to the crime branch.
The Single Bench of Justice Verinder Singh, in its judgment today, further directed the crime branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police to complete the probe within eight weeks.
“(The) Director General of Police, J&K, is directed to handover the present case to the state crime branch, with a further direction that an officer of the rank of the Superintendent of Police only shall conduct the investigation into the case and submit the status report within eight weeks,” the High Court said in its judgment today.
In June 11, 2010, Tufail Mattoo, a teenager, was returning home from tuition when the police allegedly fired a teargas shell near Gani Memorial College in the old city which hit him, killing him instantly.
Mattoo’s death triggered a cycle of violence in the Valley. More than 120 youths were killed in subsequent incidents of firing by the police and security forces.
The High Court had reserved its judgment in the case on July 8, 2013, following a petition by the relatives of the slain teenager, where they had challenged the trial court order, which had accepted the final report of the police in the case and closed the case as untraced.
“The court will be reluctant in extending the time, except on bona fide grounds, as the incident relates to June 2010,” the HC observed in its orders today.
“The state crime branch will also be at liberty to move a formal application before the Special Mobile magistrate (PT&E), Srinagar, for taking into possession the entire record of the investigation submitted before it by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), resulting in the closure of the case, as it may facilitate the crime branch to proceed with the investigation afresh,” the High Court said.
The SIT, in its final report, which was later accepted by the Special Mobile magistrate (PT&E), Srinagar, had submitted that “all possibilities of collecting evidence in this case were explored to reach some conclusion”, adding that it (SIT) “was not able to find any conclusive evidence”.
Case file
* In June 2010, Tufail Mattoo was returning home from tuition when the police fired a teargas shell near Gani Memorial College which allegedly hit him, killing him instantly
* Tufail’s death triggered violence leading to unrest across the Valley
* His family approached the J&K High Court, petitioning it to appoint a SIT to probe the case
* The SIT, in its final report to the HC in December last year, said the case was closed and the culprits remained “untraced”