Sandeep.Rana1@timesofindia.comPanchkula: A Kalka court has ordered a time-bound inquiry into allegations of four murder accused in Pinjore being paraded in public with their heads shaved after arrest.Kalka sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) issued the directive while hearing an application filed by the accused. The court asked the police commissioner to examine the case and submit a report. The SDJM refused to interfere with the arrests or release the accused from judicial custody. The court observed that the offence under investigation is serious and the probe must continue.At the same time, the court stressed that custodial violence or public humiliation cannot be justified. It noted that criminal justice must be delivered through lawful investigation, evidence collection and fair trial, not through extra-legal penalties.The order stated that acts such as forcible shaving of heads, public parading or photographing of accused persons amount to extra-judicial punishment if proven. Such conduct, it said, deserves condemnation.The inquiry will determine whether the accused were intentionally made to walk barefoot, whether their heads were shaved in custody, and whether police facilitated their public exposure. The court directed that the inquiry be completed on time and a copy of the report submitted.The SDJM also ordered that the directions be forwarded to the police commissioner for necessary action. In line with Punjab and Haryana High Court instructions, information regarding alleged custodial torture must also be reported to the sessions judge, Panchkula.The accused sought release from judicial custody, citing humiliation and torture. The court rejected this plea, reiterating that the investigation is at a crucial stage and must proceed under law.The June 5 murder case registered at Pinjore Police Station remains under investigation. Police maintain that the arrests were necessary given the gravity of the offence.
