Overview

• Chief Judicial Magistrate Ajay Kumar directed the SSP Kathua to register an FIR at Basohli Police Station and assign the case to an experienced, independent officer.
• The court said police claims of innocence cannot be accepted at this stage and that denial cannot be taken at face value without investigation.
• A 25-page order was sent to the SSP with instructions to file an action-taken report within one week of receiving it.
• The judge noted an earlier Action Taken Report appeared to give police a clean chit, which he said was impermissible before FIR registration.
• The application alleges two Pathankot labourers were illegally detained and tortured at Atal Setu in late June, supported by injury photographs and a prior magistrate’s finding that they were not fit for police custody.