Bombay HC seeks clarity on 2014 ‘custodial’ death

Mumbai: The Bombay high court, while hearing the 2014 custodial death of Angelo Valdaris, on Tuesday directed the CBI to bring the station diary, which mentions the time Valdaris was taken out of the police lockup. The seeks to get clarity on whether he died in police custody or not.

A division Bench of Justice B.P. Dharmadhikari and Justice S.S. Jadhav was hearing the petition filed by Valdaris' father  Leonard seeking to charge policemen of Wadala Government Railway Police, allegedly responsible for his son’s death, for murder.

The bench noted that the documents produced in court don’t mention the time when Valdaris was taken out from the lockup and hence, directed the CBI to produce the station diary which is supposed to have the detail.

The CBI counsel Hiten Venegaokar on Tuesday informed the court that it has not found any material to charge policemen with murder.  The central agency has charged the accused (policemen) under relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) and section 377 (Unnatural offences) of IPC. He also argued that the trial court is not helpless and as per the law if during the trial judge finds material to frame charge of murder against the accused, the judge has every right to do so and hence the petition should be disposed of.