How reinstatement of cops affects you, HC asks Khwaja Yunus' mother

The Bombay High Court on Thursdaysought to know how Asiya Begum, the mother of blast suspectKhwaja Yunus who died in police custody, was personallyaffected by the reinstatement of accused policemen.

Begum has sought action for contempt of court againstMumbai police commissioner Parambir Singh, claiming thatreinstatement of the four policemen was violation of thecourt's orders.

The high court had in April 2004 directed theMaharashtra government to suspend four policemen accused ofcustodial torture and destruction of evidence, the plea said.

Assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze and constablesRajendra Tiwari, Sunil Desai and Rajaram Nikam are currentlyfacing trial for the alleged custodial death of Yunus in 2003.

A division bench led by Justice Nitin Jamdar, onThursday, however, noted that reinstatement was a servicematter.

''How is the petitioner personally affected by this,''the court said, adjourning the hearing for two weeks.

In June 2020, a review committee headed by ParambirSingh decided that the four policemen should be taken back inactive service pending departmental inquiry and the trial.

Begum's petition claimed that no departmental inquiryhad been initiated yet.

Yunus (27) was arrested on December 25, 2002, inconnection with a blast in suburban Ghatkopar on December 2that year.

In January 2003, police claimed that he escaped whena police vehicle taking him to Aurangabad met with accident.

But his co-accused alleged that he was beaten up severely incustody which probably caused his death.