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Army Can't Be Held Responsible For Alleged 1,500 Extra Judicial Killings, Centre Tells SC

Army Can't Be Held Responsible For Alleged 1,500 Extra Judicial Killings, Centre Tells SC
Masked Kashmiri protesters throw stones and bricks at Indian police during a strike in Srinagar, India, Friday, Jan. 31, 2014. Police in Indian Kashmir on Friday fired tear gas to disperse angry protesters who opposed the armyâs decision to close the Pathribal fake encounter case against five soldiers in connection with the killing of five innocent persons in March 2000 in Pathribal, a village that lies south of Kashmir. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
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Masked Kashmiri protesters throw stones and bricks at Indian police during a strike in Srinagar, India, Friday, Jan. 31, 2014. Police in Indian Kashmir on Friday fired tear gas to disperse angry protesters who opposed the armyâs decision to close the Pathribal fake encounter case against five soldiers in connection with the killing of five innocent persons in March 2000 in Pathribal, a village that lies south of Kashmir. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

NEW DELHI -- The Centre informed the Supreme Court that the Army cannot be held responsible for alleged encounters in Manipur as it was discharging its sovereign function to defend the nation from external aggression.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi yesterday said that Justice Santosh Hegde committee report on alleged 1,500 extra judicial killings should be rejected.

The committee had found in its report that the encounters were not genuine and the victims did not have any criminal record.

Rohatgi told a bench of justices that the Army was only discharging its function of defending the country from external aggression, so the force cannot be blamed.

He also said that the report is already pending scrutiny of the government.

Justice Hegde committee was appointed in January 2013 to hold an inquiry into alleged fake encounter killings in Manipur after a PIL was filed by families of the victims.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.