Fake Encounter Case: Srinagar Court grants accused Padroo 2 day’s bail

Srinagar/May,2:  Principal and Sessions Judge Srinagar, Rashid Ali Dar, Tuesday granted two day’s ‘bail under police custody’ to Farooq Ahmad Padder, co-accused in Abdul Rehman Padroo fake encounter case.
The accused had sought bail on the pleas that her daughter is going to be married.
After hearing both defense and public prosecutor, the court while disposing off the bail application said that co-accused is granted two-day’s bail for May 2 and 3 but he will remained under police custody while visiting his home to participate in her daughters marriage ceremony. The court further directed the police to lodge the co-accused to Srinagar Central Jail shortly after the marriage ceremony will be over on May 3.
While opposing the bail application, Public prosecutor Advocate Syed Maqbool Ahmad referred to various Supreme Court judgments and other relevant provisions of law, however, Advocate Parvez Nazir, the counsel for the accused said that the matter is humane while the accused deserves bail to attend her daughter’s marriage ceremony.
Shortly after the court granted ‘two day’s bail under police custody’ to Farooq Ahmad Padder, one of the daughters of the victim family said that if court has granted him bail on the humanity grounds then the same court should understand that he has killed my father and is a culprit. “Today Farooq Padder is able to attend her daughters marriage ceremony but who will attend my marriage ceremony when my father has already been killed by him in fake encounter.”
Abdul Rehman Padroo, a carpenter from Larnoo Kokernag in Islamabad district, was killed in a fake encounter at Ganderbal in 2005. The court has recorded statements of around 83 prosecution witnesses in the case.
Uttam Chand, the then Investigating Officer (IO), has established that Padroo was killed in a fake encounter.
Earlier, Uttam Chand, who headed the SIT in 2007 had deposed before the court that the evidence gathered by him showed the involvement of seven accused-the then SSP Parihar, DySP Bahadur Ram, ASI Farooq Gudoo, driver Farooq Ahmad Padder, Manzoor Ahmad Malik and constable Bhansi Lal. He had said that they hatched a criminal conspiracy and were involved in the killing of Padroo.