The Allahabad High Court has ordered a CBI investigation into a May 2025 encounter in Shravasti, UP, slamming the police for suspicious patterns in shooting accused suspects in the legs.

  • The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court has mandated a CBI probe into a controversial encounter in Shravasti.
  • The Court criticized the repetitive pattern where police claim firing, but only the accused sustains lower-body injuries.
  • Doubts were raised regarding the SHO's shooting accuracy and the logistical impossibility of 13 personnel in one vehicle.
  • The court highlighted 'exceptional haste' in the prosecution's conviction of the accused.

In a scathing observation, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has ordered a CBI investigation into an encounter that took place in May 2025 in the Shravasti district of Uttar Pradesh. The court raised significant doubts about the authenticity of police claims, noting a recurring pattern where police encounters frequently result in suspects being shot in the knees or legs while officers remain unscathed.

Justice Subhash Vidyarthi, while hearing the case, pointed out glaring inconsistencies in the police version. The police alleged that a 36-year-old rape accused opened fire on them, but the court found the narrative highly questionable. Specifically, the court questioned how 13 police personnel, including the SHO and several sub-inspectors, could physically and legally fit into a single government patrolling vehicle.

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Why This Matters

BozokMedia analysis shows that this judicial intervention is a critical check on 'encounter culture' in India. By questioning the technical accuracy of the SHO's shooting skills and the procedural integrity of the arrest, the court is reinforcing the principle that police action must be subject to strict legal scrutiny to prevent extrajudicial killings or staged encounters.

'Day in and day out... whenever the police apprehend a person, it often gives rise to another FIR alleging that the accused indulged into indiscriminate firing... The police fire one shot and it hits the accused on his knee or below it.'

The court also scrutinized the claims made by SHO Ashwini Kumar Dubey, who asserted he fired two shots from a distance of 15 meters in self-defense during a moonlit night. Justice Vidyarthi questioned the SHO's ability to aim so precisely under such conditions and noted that the narration in the FIR appeared to be misleading.

Furthermore, the court expressed concern over the 'exceptional haste' with which the prosecution sought conviction. The defense argued that the accused was not provided adequate legal aid, preventing him from contesting the case effectively or filing timely appeals. The court has now directed the trial court to pass a fresh order on the discharge application after ensuring proper legal assistance.

Did You Know?: In legal jurisprudence, the 'presumption of innocence' is a fundamental right, which becomes increasingly vital in cases involving alleged police encounters.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why did the High Court order a CBI probe?
The court found serious loopholes in the police's story regarding the number of personnel in the vehicle and the accuracy of the gunfire during the encounter.

2. What was the specific criticism regarding the shooting?
The court noted that in many such encounters, the police claim to be under fire, yet no officer is injured, and the accused is consistently hit in the legs.