After posting the case to Thursday, Telangana HC orders authorities to preserve accused's bodies till Dec 13

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After posting the Hyderabad encounter of 4 accused in the brutal gangrape murder of a 26-year-old doctor, the Telangana High Court has ordered authorities to preserve the bodies of the four accused till Friday, December 13. 

The court took up hearing of two petitions, seeking a comprehensive probe into December 6 incident.

The division bench headed by Chief Justice R. S. Chauhan wanted to know if the police followed the Supreme Court guidelines in the matter. The court also wanted the government to provide evidence of the same.

A counsel of the petitioners told reporters that Advocate General B. S. Prasad submitted to the bench that similar petitions were being heard by the Supreme Court. He sought that the case be adjourned to Thursday as the hearing in the apex court is scheduled for Wednesday.

The court agreed with the Advocate General and posted the case to Thursday for further hearing.

When it was brought to the court's notice that Government Medical College in Mahabubnagar lacked facilities to preserve the body for a longer duration, the court issued orders for shifting them to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad.

Earlier, the court on December 6 had passed orders for preserving the bodies till December 9.

The orders had come on a representation by various human rights and women's groups requesting judicial intervention into what they called 'extrajudicial killings' of the four accused.

The petition, signed by as many as 15 organisations, alleged that the encounter was carried out in violation of the Supreme Court guidelines.

Rajendra Prasad, an advocate, has also filed a petition on the encounter.

All the four accused were killed by police in an alleged exchange of fire at Chatanpally near Shadnagar town early on December 6. The police claimed that the accused snatched weapons from police party and opened fire and in the retaliatory fire by police all four were killed.

The incident occurred when police had taken the accused to Chatanpally for recreation of crime scene and collect evidence. It was at this place that the accused had allegedly set afire the victim after sexually assaulting and killing her on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Also Read | Hyderabad vet rape-murder: SC to consider hearing PIL for probe into encounter of 4 accused