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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | SC: Can Armed Forces enjoy immunity for rape, murder?

SC: Can Armed Forces enjoy immunity for rape, murder?

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published Published on Jun 16, 2011   modified Modified on Jun 16, 2011

-The Economic Times

 

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to furnish its stand on the provisions of the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers ) Act applicable to the disturbed areas of the country. The ruling came in view of the government's divergent views on the controversial issue of the immunity granted to Army and para-military personnels from criminal prosecutions in certain conditions like fake encounter cases in such areas.

"You (government) cannot say that an army man can enter any home, commit a rape and say he enjoys immunity as it has been done in discharge of the official duties," said a vacation bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar on Thursday. The court asked the government to file an affidavit spelling out its stand on two issues: One,whether the Army/para military personnel can enjoy immunity from criminal prosecution for any penal offence committed in discharge of their official duties, including fake encounters and rapes vis-a-vis AFSP Act, Section 197 CrPC and Section 17 of the CRPF Act.

Two, should the investigating agency like CBI conduct a preliminary inquiry into such killings before registering an FIR against accused Army/ para military personnel. The court passed its order in view of the divergent views of the central government while hearing two separate alleged encounter killing cases involving army personnels in the state of J&K and Assam. One such case pertaining to the Chattisingpora killing in J&K in 2004 in which seven youth were killed in an alleged fake encounter by the Rashtriya Rifles personnels . The other case related to the allged fake encounter killings by CRPF men in Assam. Senior counsel Ashok Bhan on behalf of the Centre sought prosecution of the accused Rashtriya Rifles personnels. However, he sought immunity from the prosecution for the accused CRPF personnel in the second case.

The bench at this expressed its dismay and said, "How can you adopt diametrically different views?" At this, Bhan said, it was "compulsions of his professional duties." He urged the court to delink the two issues and deal with them separately. However, the judges said since "the issue involved vital questions of law relating to public" , the matter would be taken up for detailed hearing immediately after court resumes its working after vacation. Bhan took the stance that the Army men responsible for the killing of seven youths should be prosecuted as Sections 6 and 7 of the AFSP Act gave no immunity for prosecution to such personnel.

However, in the case of seven CRPF men, who allegedly killed six youth after branding them ultras on April 2, 1983, at Golaghat in Assam, the counsel took the plea that the accused officials cannot be prosecuted as they enjoyed immunity under Section 17 of the CRPF Act and 197 CrPC which mandates prior sanction from higher authorities. He urged the apex court to vacate the stay granted by it in 2009 on the prosecution of the army personnel in Chattisinghpora incident so as "to instill confidence among the people of militancy-hit J&K which is witnessing violence for the last two decades."

The Chattisinghpora incident had provoked an outrage after the CBI established that the victims were abducted by the Army men and shot dead in a fake encounter in retaliation to the massacre of 36 Sikhs by militants a few days before the encounter. The agency had filed the charge sheet against a Brigadier, Colonel , Major and five others. The sessions court and the High Court had rejected the plea of the army personnel for stay of the prosecution by the apex court in 2007 stayed the trial.

The Economic Times, 17 June, 2011, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/sc-can-armed-forces-enjoy-immunity-for-rape-murder/articleshow/8884625.cms


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