Notice to Centre over torture in custody

The Supreme Court on Monday sought the reply from the Centre and National Human Rights Commission on a writ petition filed by Ashwani Kumar, former Union law minister, seeking comprehensive guidelines to prevent torture in police custody.

A bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice A.M. Kanwilkar issued the notice after hearing Ashwini Kumar, who espoused the cause of those who are being brutalised and robbed of their dignity through various act of torture. Arguing in person, Dr Kumar said that he felt he failed as a parliamentarian to ensure an effective and purposive legal regime to prevent torture in custody but he does not want to fail in his duty as a citizen to invoke the constitutional conscience for protecting the right to dignity of those who are routinely subjected to torture while in custody.