Supreme Court Scrutinizes Assam Police Encounters

The Supreme Court is examining whether guidelines for extra-judicial killings were followed in 171 police encounters in Assam between May 2021 and August 2022. Advocate Prashant Bhushan claims guidelines were violated. The Assam government's response is pending review, with the matter scheduled for discussion the following week.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday announced that it would focus on assessing adherence to its guidelines on extra-judicial police encounters, addressing 171 incidents reported in Assam from May 2021 to August 2022.

Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh engaged with advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing petitioner Arif Md Yeasin Jwadder. Bhushan argued that the guidelines established in the 2014 PUCL versus Maharashtra case were not followed, asserting that FIRs were incorrectly lodged against victims instead of the involved officers.

While solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing Assam, questioned the motives behind the petition, he affirmed the state’s compliance with the court's guidelines. The top court had previously labeled this issue 'very serious,' highlighting the necessity for transparency and proper investigation.