13 Delhi cops discharged in staged shootout case

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) A Delhi court Thursday discharged 13 policemen in a case of allegedly killing a suspected gangster in a staged shootout in 2002.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav said: "This court is of the considered opinion that the cognisance against the accused persons in this case cannot be taken. They are accordingly discharged from this case."

The court released the policemen from the charges of conspiring and murdering alleged gangster Rupender and destroying the evidence.

The accused were discharged after the court accepted a closure report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Those discharged are sub-inspectors Vinay Tyagi, Atul Tyagi and Satish Rana, head constables Satinder Singh, Neeraj Kumar and Nagender and constables Prem Pal Singh, Raj Kumar, Hari Om, Naresh Pal, Sudhir Kumar, Rustam Ahmi and Upender.

A police team led by Vinay Tyagi raided the house of Rupender alias Kanu Jat at Pandav Nagar in east Delhi Jan 11, 2002. Rupender was killed in the ensuing gun battle.

The probe into the case was given to the CBI after Rupender's father accused the police of killing him in a staged shootout. The case was registered in 2003 and the probe agency filed a closure report in 2008.