MUMBAI: A Division Bench of the Bombay High Court on Friday ordered the Maharashtra Director-General of Police P.S. Pasricha to take a decision on the draft charge sheet against 14 policemen involved in the Khwaja Yunus case within four weeks.

The State CID had sought Mr. Pasricha's approval in August 2006 for filing the charge sheet against the policemen involved in the disappearance of Yunus, arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) in connection with the Ghatkopar bomb blasts case of December 2, 2002. The court said that nothing prevented the DGP from calling for case diaries and related papers and examining the matter after the CID's draft charge sheet was sent to him. It said it expected the State to treat the matter in all seriousness and take immediate action.

The CID sent the draft charge sheet to Mr. Pasricha on August 25, but no decision was taken.

The matter was referred to the State's Law department.

Yunus, a 27-year-old engineer who was working in Dubai, came for a holiday to Parbhani when he was arrested.

Police claim

He was interrogated by the Crime Branch and taken in a jeep to Ahmednagar on January 6-7, 2003.

The police claim that he escaped after the vehicle met with an accident.

However, he went missing after that. Yunus' father, Sayyed Khwaja Ayub, alleged he was killed in police custody and filed a habeas corpus petition.

After Ayub's death, Yunus' mother Aasiya Begum filed a petition in the High Court seeking compensation for the family.

Counsel for the petitioner Mihir Desai submitted that Yunus' father died of shock after his son went missing.

In response to Mr. Desai's request for some interim relief, the court ordered that a reasonable amount be paid to Aasiya Begum and left it to the State to decide the amount.

In April 2004, the case was handed over to the CID. A fresh first information report was filed based on a statement of the co-accused Abdul Mateen.

8 policemen arrested

Of the 14 policemen involved, eight, including senior inspector Praful Bhosale, assistant inspectors Hemant Desai and Ashok Khot and inspector Rajaram Vhanmane, all members of an award winning team of the Ghatkopar Crime Intelligence Unit, were arrested and released on bail.

Three constables have been untraceable for several months and non-bailable warrants issued against them.

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