SC to Hear Plea Alleging Torture, Killings by BSF Personnel in WB

An NGO alleged that there were more than 200 cases where the BSF personnel had indulged in extra-judicial killings.

The NGO that filed the plea said the trial of an errant BSF personnel before the Security Force Court is opaque. (Photo: Reuters) 

The Supreme Court on agreed to hear in detail a plea seeking probe into alleged torture, rape and extra-judicial killings by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in the border areas of West Bengal.

The plea has also challenged the constitutional validity of Section 46 of the BSF Act, which provides the situations in which a BSF personnel can be tried by a Security Force Court, and Section 47, which deals with the conditions when a security personnel can be prosecuted by an ordinary criminal court.

Initially, the bench was not inclined to hear the plea filed by Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, a Kolkata-based NGO, saying there were provisions in the BSF Act which provided the circumstances in which an ordinary court can try a BSF personnel for criminal offences.

If an encounter is genuine, then there is nothing to worry as section 46 (of the BSF Act) will come in play. And if it is not a genuine encounter, then the personnel is not considered to be on active duty and can be tried by the ordinary court as described under section 47.

Bench of Chief Justice JS Kehar and Justices DY Chandrachud and SK Kaul

The apex court in 2012 had issued notice to the Centre on the plea alleging torture, rape and extra-judicial killings by the BSF personnel in the border areas.

The court was hearing the plea of the NGO which alleged that there were more than 200 cases where the BSF personnel had indulged in extra-judicial killings or torture in these areas and the cases were never probed by the state police.

“The present case will show the procedure followed by the West Bengal Police makes a mockery of the rule of law. This petition pertains to the cases of torture or torture followed by extra-judicial executions of more than 200 Indian nationals by the BSF between 2005 and 2011,” the NGO has alleged.

“In over 100 cases, there are eye-witnesses to the BSF taking into custody the person concerned and there are eye- witnesses to the torture in custody of the person concerned, leading to his death,” the NGO said.

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