SC asks J&K police to file fresh report in constable's death

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Jammu and Kashmir Police to file a fresh report within a week giving details of a probe conducted so far into the death of constable Sameer Bhat who had allegedly gone missing on May 14.

A bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud, after perusing the report filed by the police, said there was nothing in it except a confessional statement of an accused.
"There was nothing in the report except a confessional statement. File a fresh status report within a week," the bench said.

The SC said that practically, now nothing survived in the petition as the body of the constable has been recovered.

The counsel for M K Pandita, who had filed the plea to trace the missing constable, said that a charge sheet was already filed by the police when they were still seeking the DNA details of the parents to establish that the recovered body was that of the missing constable.

The constable went missing after leaving Kupwara for Srinagar and is alleged to have been killed by his colleague, Special Police Officer Eijaz Ahmed, to avenge his "sexual assault".

A vacation bench of the apex court had on June 19 asked the state Director General of Police to file a fresh status report as it was not satisfied with the one filed on that day.

Pandita, who has sought an independent probe into the constable's death, had said that there was foul play in the policeman's killing.

Bhat's body was recovered after 21 days, on June 7.

The apex court had on June 8, issued notice to the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir Police on the plea of Pandita, who also hails from Kupwara, and sought the status report on the probe.

Pandita has alleged that DIG Ghulam Hassan Bhat on May 31 had came out with a version saying that the SPO had allegedly confessed to killing Sameer as the latter had sexually assaulted him on May 13.