Supreme Court Refuses to Intervene in Bihar Encounter Killing, Directs Petitioner to High Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a court-monitored probe into the alleged encounter killing of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in Bihar earlier this month. A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Sheel Nagu directed the petitioner, Vishal Tiwari, to approach the Patna High Court with his grievance.

Tiwari, a 28-year-old social media influencer with over 1.6 lakh Facebook subscribers, was killed in a police encounter after a two-day standoff that was live-streamed on his account. The incident occurred in early March 2025 in Bihar's Buxar district.

The PIL had sought the constitution of an independent expert committee headed by a former Supreme Court judge to investigate the circumstances of Tiwari's death. The petitioner argued that encounter killings have become frequent in multiple states and required judicial oversight.

The Supreme Court, however, observed that such matters should first be raised before the High Court having jurisdiction. The bench did not issue any notice or order on the plea.

This development comes amid ongoing debates about police encounters and the need for independent investigations to ensure accountability. The Patna High Court is now expected to hear the matter if the petitioner files a fresh petition.