Bombay HC Puts Grave Questions Over Encounter of Badlapur Rape Accused

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday pulled up Mumbai police over the custodial death of Akshay Shinde, the Badlapur rape accused, saying the incident could not be “termed an encounter”.

The High Court was hearing the petition filed by the accused’s father, Anna Shinde, who urged for a probe by a Special Investigation Team into his son’s death in the “fake encounter”. The petitioner claimed Shinde was killed in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections.

According to the police, Shinde, accused of raping two girls at a Badlapur school, snatched a pistol from an Assistant Police Inspector, while he was being taken to Badlapur from Taloja jail and fired at the escorting police team, injuring three cops. In the retaliatory firing by police, Shinde was killed.

As reported by India Today, the High Court said, “This is hard to believe. Prima facie, there is foul play. A layman cannot fire a pistol, unlike a revolver which any tom, dick and harry can do. A weak man cannot load a pistol as it needs strength.”

The court also added that the accused was not a “strong man” and could have been overpowered by the four police officers after he pulled the first trigger. “This cannot be termed as an encounter. This is not an encounter,” said the High Court bench.

The court further said, the police officer should have aimed at the legs or the hands of the accused instead of the head as that was the SOP.