'No one is above law': Jharkhand HC raps govt for not filing FIR on gangster Aman Sahu’s death

Ranchi, July 30 The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the state government's failure to register an FIR based on a complaint filed by Kiran Devi, the mother of gangster Aman Sahu, who was killed in a police encounter earlier this year.

"No one is above the law -- not even the Director General of Police," said a division bench headed by Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan while hearing a petition seeking a CBI probe into the alleged encounter.

The bench questioned why no FIR had been registered despite Kiran Devi having filed her complaint online.

The court has now sought a detailed response from the state government, asking it to explain the delay.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel alleged that the state was deliberately stalling the case to tamper with or destroy crucial evidence. They pointed out that vital electronic records such as call detail records (CDRs) from mobile service providers are only preserved for a limited period, and further delay could result in the loss of key information.

In her petition, Kiran Devi has claimed that her son was killed in a fake encounter on March 11 in Palamu. According to her, Aman Sahu was being brought from Raipur Central Jail to the NIA Court in Ranchi when he was allegedly killed mid-transit as part of a conspiracy.

The petition highlights serious lapses in security arrangements. While Aman Sahu was earlier transferred from Chaibasa Jail to Raipur with a 75-member police escort, only a 12-member ATS team was assigned to bring him back from Raipur to Ranchi.

Kiran Devi alleged that she had previously feared for her son’s life and had even expressed concerns that police would stage his killing and label it an encounter.

The petitioner has made several authorities parties to the case, including the Union Home Ministry, the CBI Director, the Jharkhand Home Secretary, the state Director General of Police, the SSP Ranchi, and officials of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), demanding a fair and impartial investigation by the CBI.

The High Court has also directed the state to respond to an intervention application (IA) filed by the petitioner and has asked the government to file a detailed affidavit before the next date of hearing.

Gangster Aman Sahu, accused of over 150 crimes across multiple states, including Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, was killed in a police encounter on March 11.

He had been lodged in Raipur jail and was being brought to Jharkhand for questioning in connection with some criminal incidents when, according to police, his gang allegedly ambushed the police convoy near Andhari Dhoda in the Chainpur police station area of Palamu, using a bomb. During the attack, the police vehicle lost control.

According to the police, Sahu took advantage of the chaos, snatched a weapon from a police jawan, and attempted to escape while opening fire. In retaliation, the police shot him dead. A police jawan was also injured in the exchange of fire.

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