Soumya murder case: Court orders lodging of FIR against jail staff

A Delhi court today ordered registration of an FIR on a complaint of an accused in journalist Soumya Vishwanathan murder case alleging assault by the jail officials during his judicial custody.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Amit Bansal took a serious view of the allegations levelled by the undertrial in the application filed by his counsel Amit Kumar, alleging that he was assaulted for failing to pay the jail officials bribe for facilities like mobile phone and dry fruits.

The court directed the Delhi police's crime branch to look into the matter and get the investigation conducted by an inspector.

"Keeping in view the sensitivity of the matter and nature of the allegations, this court deems it fit that the investigation of the present case should be done by the crime branch. Hence DCP (crime branch) is directed to register an FIR in the matter under relevant provisions of law and get the matter investigated by a police official not below the rank of an inspector," ACMM Bansal said.

In his plea, Kumar, counsel for accused Amit Shukla, submitted the application should be treated as a complaint as cognisable offences were made out against jail officials and staff.

The medical examination of the accused ordered on July 7 also referred to the injuries sustained by him, Kumar submitted.

He had accused the jail authorities at Rohini of assaulting the undertrial on June 22, put in a high-risk category, for days as he refused to bribe them for availing facilities of mobile phones and dry fruits.

"The applicant states that he was mercilessly beaten up by Ajay Bhatia, deputy superintendent, assistant superintendents Satyabir Singh Yadav and Udit Raj and constables Vijay Pal, Semant and Satya Bhushan Jain," the court had noted.

During the arguments on the application, the prosecutor also submitted that the FIR should be registered in the matter if the case was made out.

Amit was arrested on March 29, 2009. He, along with others, is accused of killing Vishwanathan on the night of September 30, 2008, when she was returning home by her car from office at around 3:30 am.

He is also one of the accused for the murder of IT executive Jigisha Ghosh on March 20, 2009.

He is also facing charges under tough anti-organised crime law MCOCA.