Tue Dec 03 00:30:21 UTC 2024: ## High Court Orders Preservation of Maoist Bodies After Encounter
**Hyderabad, India** – The Telangana High Court on Monday ordered the preservation of the bodies of seven Maoists killed in an encounter in Mulugu district until Tuesday. The order came after a petition was filed by K. Ilammma alias Meena, the wife of one of the deceased, demanding to see her husband’s body and alleging the encounter was staged.
Ilammma, in an urgent petition, claimed that police executed her husband, Mallayya, and other Maoists after they were allegedly rendered unconscious using poison. She alleged torture and that the police conducted a hasty post-mortem without allowing family members to be present. Her lawyer argued that the bodies are crucial evidence and should be examined by an independent panel of forensic experts at Warangal MGM Hospital. The government’s lawyer, however, countered that the post-mortem was conducted according to regulations by doctors from Kakatiya Medical College, and that Ilammma was present.
The High Court, while refusing to order the transfer of bodies to Warangal citing potential law and order issues, directed the Ettoorunagaram police to preserve the bodies until Tuesday. The court also ordered the government to submit a detailed report on the encounter. The hearing has been adjourned until Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) Jitender refuted allegations by civil rights groups that the Maoists were poisoned before being shot. He stated that the encounter was a legitimate response to the Maoists firing on patrolling police officers, and that the Maoists had recently murdered two tribal informants. A DSP from another district has been appointed to investigate the encounter, in accordance with the High Court and National Human Rights Commission guidelines. A team of forensic doctors conducted the post-mortem examination on Monday at Ettoorunagaram CHC.
First Piper 