Breaking; Killings in police encounters affect the credibility of Rule of Law and Administration of Criminal Justice System. Supreme Court issues 16 Guidelines for Investigation of Police Encounters;.

In a Landmark Judgment Supreme Court Today issued 16 Guidelines to be followed in the matters of investigating police encounters in the cases of death as the standard procedure for thorough, effective and independent investigation. It is also held that killings in police encounters affect the credibility of the rule of law and the administration of the criminal justice system Writing the Judgment, in PUCL vs.Union of India, CJI Lodha expressed the Court's concern by holding that "The guarantee by Article 21 is available to every person and even the State has no authority to violate that right. In line with the guarantee provided by Article 21 and other provisions in the Constitution of India, a number of statutory provisions After referring to various suggestions given by Advocate Prashant Bhushan for PUCL, Amicus Curie Gopal Sankaranarayanan and considering the NHRC Guidelines relating to the issue, Supreme Court issued following Guidelines; Whenever the police is in receipt of any intelligence or tip-off regarding criminal movements or activities pertaining to the commission of grave criminal offence, it shall be reduced into writing in some form or in some electronic form. The team conducting inquiry/investigation shall, at a minimum, seek: To identify the victim; colour photographs of the victim should be taken; To recover and preserve evidentiary material, including blood-stained earth, hair, fibers and threads, etc., related to the death; To identify scene witnesses with complete names, addresses and telephone numbers and obtain their statements concerning the death; To determine the cause, manner, location and time of death as well as any pattern or practice that may have brought about the death; It must be ensured that intact fingerprints of deceased are sent for chemical analysis.