Supreme Court directs preservation of body of top Maoist commander Katha Ramchandra Reddy killed in police encounter

Reddy, described by the state as a Maoist commander carrying a bounty of nearly ₹2 crore across seven states, was killed on September 22 along with another alleged Maoist, Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy, during an anti-Maoist operation by the Chhattisgarh police.

His son, Raja Chandra, alleged that the encounter was staged. He moved the Supreme Court after the high court declined to urgently hear his petition before closing for the Puja vacations. The plea sought preservation of the body so that a fresh post-mortem examination could be conducted, as well as a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation with officers drawn from outside Chhattisgarh.

A bench of justices Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan disposed of the petition with a direction that the body not be cremated or buried until the High Court takes up the matter. The bench also requested the high court to prioritise the case once it reopens after the Dussehra holidays on October 6.