Patna, Aug 10 (IANS) In a major development in the Bharat Tiwari encounter case, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court in Bihar’s Ara on Monday ordered the issuance of non-bailable warrants against 11 individuals named in Shahpur Police Station Case No. 178/2026, including those whose names surfaced during the investigation.
The court has directed the police to arrest the accused and produce them before the court by August 12.
The Ara Superintendent of Police has also been ordered to appear before the court on the same day and submit a report on the action taken so far and the status of the arrests.
According to Senior Supreme Court Advocate Sanjeev Kumar Singh, who is representing Bharat Tiwari, the warrants have been issued against individuals including then-SDM Sanjit Kumar, then-SDPO Rajesh Kumar Sharma, then-SHO Rajesh Malakar, police personnel Ankit Aryan and Harishchandra Kumar, STF personnel Akshay Kumar and Vikas Kumar and ASI Ramashankar Yadav, among others.
STF personnel Akshay Kumar has already been arrested, according to the lawyer.
The court has sought detailed information from the police regarding when the investigation began, the steps taken so far, and the efforts made to arrest the accused.
It has also sought details of notices issued to the accused, the reasons for any delay in their arrest, and the present status of the investigation.
The Ara SP will therefore have to appear before the court on August 12 and explain how many accused have been arrested and what action has been taken against those who remain at large.
The defence has also sought the production of crucial evidence, including electronic records, mobile phone data, CCTV footage and witness statements collected during the investigation.
The lawyer also highlighted that Bharat Tiwari’s mobile phone had been seized by the police and claimed that digital devices and mobile records could contain important evidence related to the case.
The court’s directive has added significant pressure on the investigating agency and could prove important in determining the next course of the Bharat Tiwari encounter case.
–IANS
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