Dr. Kafeel Khan has hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government for keeping him in jail by filing ‘fictitious’ charges against him for eight months. Soon after being released from Mathura Jail, Khan said that he thanked the Special Task Force of the UP Police for not killing him in a fake encounter while transferring him from Mumbai to Mathura.
Speaking to reporters, Khan said, “I was kept in this jail for eight months. They tortured me by denying food and water for five days.”
The famous doctor from Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College added, “I want to thank the UP STF that they did not kill me in an encounter while taking me from Mumbai to Mathura.”
He was referring to the alleged fake encounter of terrorist Vikas Dubey, who was killed by the UP Police while being taken from Madhya Pradesh to Kanpur.
Khan’s family members had earlier alleged that the Mathura Jail authorities were refusing to release him despite the Allahabad High Court’s order declaring his detention illegal. Khan was released in the early hours of Wednesday only after his brother threatened to move the court alleging contempt by Mathura Jail authorities.
The Allahabad High Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh had come down heavily on the government as it said, “… we are having no hesitation in concluding that neither detention of Dr. Kafeel Khan under National Security Act, 1980 nor extension of the detention are sustainable in the eye of law.”
The high court, according to Bar and Bench website, added, “The order of detention dated 13th February, 2020 passed by District Magistrate, Aligarh and confirmed by the State of Uttar Pradesh is set aside. The extension of the period of detention of detenue Dr. Kafeel Khan is also declared illegal. A writ in the nature of habeas corpus is hereby issued to release Dr. Kafeel Khan, the detenue from State custody forthwith.”
The Supreme Court on 11 August had asked the Allahabad High Court to decide within 15 days on the plea seeking the release of Dr. Kafeel Khan.
