The Supreme Court today stayed contempt proceedings against Jammu and Kashmir SSP and IGP for not registering an FIR against a DSP following order of a judicial magistrate. The J&K government had moved the apex court to prevent the arrest of Srinagar’s DSP who allegedly killed a youth protesting against the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. The government sough a stay on criminal proceedings in the case. The apex court also ordered the state government to submit a status report by Friday.
The SC agreed to the hear the appeal against J&K High Court’s order. The state government pointed out that a hearing in the case before the magistrate was scheduled on Monday. The judicial magistrate had ordered police to register an FIR following a complaint by father of the victim, Shabir Ahmad Mir, who was shot dead by the DSP on July 10. According to the complaint, the DSP had entered the house of Shabir along with a police team and shot at him twice. Police also assaulted his mother when he intervened. The magistrate had directed the SSP to register an FIR against the DSP on July 18 and asked the case to be probed no by an officer below the rank of the DSP.
Though the J&K government had appealed against the order in state High Court, the HC didn’t order quashing of magistrate’s decision.