Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has ordered a fresh postmortem examination of Ritesh Kumar, the alleged rapist and murderer of a five-year-old girl in Hubballi, who was killed in a police encounter. A bench comprising Chief Justice N.V. Anjaria and Justice K.V. Aravind directed that a team of two medical professionals conduct the autopsy, with the entire procedure to be videographed. The court further instructed that biological samples from the body be preserved to aid ongoing investigations.
Body Must Be Preserved, Not Cremated Yet: Civil Rights Groups Move Court
The directive followed a petition filed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and women’s rights activist Dr. Madhu Bhushan, who argued that the body was a crucial piece of evidence in the larger context of the case. They urged the court to ensure the body is not cremated until a fair and independent inquiry is conducted.
State Government Told to Respond; Hearing Adjourned to April 24
The High Court issued a notice to the Karnataka government to file a detailed response to the petition. The next hearing on the matter has been scheduled for April 24. The petitioners cited Supreme Court guidelines mandating postmortems in such cases be carried out under transparent conditions.
AG Says Body to Be Buried, Not Cremated — No Hindrance to Probe
Representing the Karnataka government, Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty clarified that in cases like this, the body is not cremated but rather buried, which would not hinder future investigations even after several months. He added that an FIR had already been registered, and the investigation had been transferred to the CID. Once the body was identified by the family, a postmortem was conducted, he said.
Accused Killed After Alleged Attack on Police During Investigation
Senior advocate Aditya Sondhi, representing the petitioners, detailed the timeline: Ritesh Kumar, a migrant labourer from Bihar, was arrested based on CCTV footage near the scene of the crime. He was reportedly interrogated for nearly three hours and was later taken to his residence, about 10 km from the crime scene, for further investigation. Police claim Kumar attacked officers during this visit, prompting them to shoot him dead in an encounter.
Sondhi argued that this raises serious concerns and necessitates a fair probe. He urged the court to ensure that the postmortem complies with the Supreme Court’s directions and that the body be preserved.
Background: Five-Year-Old Raped and Murdered in Hubballi
The horrific incident occurred on April 13 in the jurisdiction of Ashok Nagar Police Station, Hubballi. A five-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered. Based on CCTV footage, police arrested Ritesh Kumar. Police interrogated him and subsequently took him to his residence, where he was allegedly shot in an encounter following an attack on officers. Officials have so far refrained from confirming whether the girl was sexually assaulted, stating that confirmation can only come after the minor’s autopsy report is finalised.
