Justice loses its basic character if done for revenge, says CJI Bobde day after Hyderabad encounter

JODHPUR: Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde, who became the 47th Chief Justice of India in November 2019, on Saturday said if justice is ever done with the feeling of revenge, then it loses its basic character. CJI Bobde's statement came a day after four accused in the Hyderabad government veterinarian's gang rape and murder case were shot dead in a police encounter.

Speaking at the inauguration of a new building at Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur, Justice Bobde said, "Justice should not be done for revenge. I believe Justice loses its character as Justice if it becomes revenge," while adding that he believes that justice can never be delivered in a hurry.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar on Friday informed that the four accused in the gang rape and murder of the Hyderabad based veterinary doctor attacked a team of police personnel accompanying them with bricks and sticks in the wee hours of Friday, following which they also snatched the weapons of some of the cops. They then tried to shoot at the law enforcers following which the police team fired back killing all the four accused about 500 metres from the spot where they had killed and burnt the body of the 26-year-old vet on November 26.

He further said that the encounter took place between 5:45 and 6:15 am when the accused were taken to the spot for a reconstruction of the crime as part of the investigation. Prime accused Mohammed Arif (26), Chennakeshavulu, Jollu Shiva and Jollu Navin (all 20 years) were not handcuffed at the time of the incident, police said.

The gangrape and murder case of the veterinary doctor had outraged the nation leading to massive protests in several cities demanding justice to the victim and stringent punishment to the accused.

The family of the government veterinarian hailed Telangana Police after the encounter and said their daughter's soul must be at peace now. "It has been 10 days to the day my daughter died. I express my gratitude towards the police and government for this. My daughter`s soul must be at peace now," the victim's father had said. "I am not going to get back my daughter but this will definitely send a strong message. This will instill fear and criminals will not dare to do what my daughter had to go through," he added.