The Gauhati High Court closed a Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) registered by the High Court taking notice of an incident of mob lynching took place in February, 2018 in Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh wherein a mob of around 800 people attacked Tezu Police Station, dragged out two suspects from the lock-up and beat them to death.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice Suman Shyam was informed by the Amicus Curiae that the police has arrested six persons in relation to the said incident and later on they were also chargesheeted but the learned trial Court has discharged all of them against which the State has also preferred a Criminal Petition before the High Court and the same is pending consideration.
During the pendency of the PIL petition the Court vide order dated 15.05.2023 has expanded the scope of this PIL petition by passing the following order :-
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This Court further feels that in view of the nature of allegations for which this suo moto public interest litigation is registered, a direction is required to be given for installation of a comprehensive CCTV system in all Police Stations across the State of Arunachal Pradesh with the data being monitored by a Centrally Located Control Room.
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After passing of the order dated 15.05.2023, the Court has issued various further directions to the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram and pursuant to that several required steps have been taken by the States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland and reports of the same have been submitted before the Court and the same have been taken note of by the Court in the various orders passed by the Court.
The Amicus Curiae has submitted that the required steps as per the directions of the Court have already been taken by the respective States. It is also submitted that since the criminal proceedings regarding the incident for which the Suo Moto PIL is registered is pending adjudication, no further order is required to be passed in the Suo Moto PIL Petition.
In view of the submission made by the Amicus Curiae, the PIL Petition is closed by the High Court.