SC urges UP govt to submit affidavit related to killing of Atiq, Ashraf

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to submit an affidavit outlining the actions taken in relation to the killings of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother, Ashraf Ahmed, and also the incidents prior to them.

The apex court also questioned Uttar Pradesh as to why Atiq and Ashraf were paraded rather than taken directly to the hospital in the vehicle they were in. The UP government was directed to submit an affidavit by a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta, and the case was scheduled for hearing after three weeks.

The court was hearing a petition asking for the creation of an independent expert committee, to be presided over by a former Supreme Court judge, to look into Atiq and Ashraf’s murders in the presence of police.

The court also made it clear that the UP government will have to mention in its affidavit the steps taken in pursuance of Justice Chauhan’s report, which revealed the steps taken just before the incident in which Atiq and his brother were shot dead.

Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government filed a caveat application in the SC on a petition asking for the formation of an independent expert committee to look into the killings of Atiq and Ashraf while under the protection of the police, which was objected to by the Uttar Pradesh government.

A caveat application is filed by a litigant to prevent an adverse judgement against them without due process.

Advocate Vishal Tiwari, the petitioner in the matter, has asked for the formation of an independent expert committee, to be presided over by a former Supreme Court judge, to investigate the killings of Atiq and Ashraf in the presence of police.