Andhra Pradesh high court asks Maoists’ kin to approach Chhattisgarh police for mortal remains

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh high court on Saturday disposed of two petitions filed by the family members of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao and Sajja Venkata Nageswara Rao, who were killed by security forces in a recent encounter, with a direction to approach Chhattisgarh police to get their mortal remains.Bharatamma, the mother of Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraj, and Srinivasa Rao, the brother of Nageswara Rao, moved house motion petitions before the high court seeking directions to Chhattisgarh police to hand over the bodies so that they can perform their last rites in a dignified manner. Arguing on behalf of the petitioners, senior counsel A Satya Prasad said when they approached the IG office in Chhattisgarh, seeking to take the bodies, police turned down their request and asked them to approach AP police.When they approached the SPs of Bapatla and Srikakulam districts, they were threatened and told not to seek custody of the bodies, Satya Prasad alleged.He said the actions of AP and Chhattisgarh police are violative of several Supreme Court judgements, which state that the dead have the right to receive dignified last rites. He said the petitions were filed before AP high court as part of the cause of action arose in the state. He pleaded for directions to gain custody of the bodies so that their last rites can be performed according to the customs and traditions of the families.Responding to the petitions, Praful Bharath, advocate general of Chhattisgarh, said as the incident took place in Chhattisgarh, AP high court does not have territorial jurisdiction to decide the petitions. He said out of 27 persons who died in the encounter, postmortem examinations have been completed for 21 bodies. Postmortem of the remaining bodies would be completed by Saturday evening, and the next step in the procedure is to hand over the bodies to the families.He denied the petitioners' allegations that Chhattisgarh police chased them away and denied to hand over the bodies.Andhra Pradesh advocate general Dammalapati Srinivas also said that the petitioners ought to have filed the petition before Chhattisgarh high court. He also denied the allegations of threatening the petitioners and putting them under house arrest by AP police. Deputy solicitor general, Pasala Punnarao, said CRPF was not involved in the encounter and therefore, Union govt cannot be a party to the litigation.Considering all the arguments, the high court bench of Justices N Harinath and Y Lakshmana Rao said they intend to dispose of the petitions without going into the issue of territorial jurisdiction. As the advocate general of Chhattisgarh submitted that handing over of bodies is the next step in the procedure, the high court gave the petitioners liberty to approach the police to seek custody of the bodies and disposed of the petitions.