A court in Jammu &amp; Kashmir&rsquo;s Kathua district has ordered the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) into allegations of custodial torture levelled by two labourers from Punjab, terming the charges &ldquo;serious&rdquo; and demanding an independent probe.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Ajay Kumar passed the order on Monday, directing the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kathua to ensure an FIR is lodged at Basohli police station and submit an action-taken report within a week. The magistrate also instructed that the case be investigated by &ldquo;an experienced and independent police officer.&rdquo;
The petitioners, Sukar Deen and Fareed Mohammad of Chibber village in Pathankot, alleged they were &ldquo;illegally apprehended&rdquo; and &ldquo;brutally tortured&rdquo; by police officers at Atal Setu on June 30. They claimed the police had slapped a frivolous FIR against them after detaining them without due process.
In support of their allegations, they pointed to an earlier ruling by the Munsiff Court in Basohli, which had denied police request for their custodial remand, observing that the two were found &ldquo;medically unfit&rdquo; by doctors after examination. Instead, the magistrate had placed them in judicial custody.
The duo later approached the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh High Court in July, which issued notices to the Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Basohli and 10 other policemen named in the petition.
While disposing of the present application, the CJM underscored the Supreme Court&rsquo;s 2014 ruling in Lalita Kumari v. Government of Uttar Pradesh, which makes registration of an FIR mandatory where information indicates a cognizable offence. &ldquo;The innocence claimed by the police authority cannot be accepted at this stage. Their denial cannot be taken at face value without investigation,&rdquo; the court observed.
The court emphasised it was not making any determination on the truth of the allegations but insisted that the law required a formal investigation. The order has placed fresh scrutiny on the conduct of police officers in the Basohli region, where allegations of custodial violence have long been a sensitive issue.
The case, now under judicial spotlight, is expected to test the accountability mechanisms in J&amp;K&rsquo;s policing system.
&nbsp;

J&K Court Orders FIR in Custodial Torture Case

Punjab labourers allege brutal torture by J&K cops; CJM Kathua directs probe, FIR in week

J&K Court Orders FIR in Custodial Torture Case

Punjab labourers allege brutal torture by J&K cops; CJM Kathua directs probe, FIR in week

September 23, 2025 | 23:57 IST