Two of the 13 policemen convicted for a fake encounter today told the court that the killing of Ram Narayan Gupta alias Lakkhan Bhaiya, an alleged aide of fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan, was in self defence and in the interest of the common people.
The court, which held them guilty last week, was recording their statements in connection with the sentence to be announced later.
Former senior inspector Pradeep Suryavanshi, who led the police team on the day of the encounter, told the court that the police have to retaliate if there is firing from other end.
"If we are not given the right to self defence, then what should we do? Should we call the Commissioner of Police and take directions? The morale of the police force would go down if the right to self-defence is not there," he told the court.
"If criminals like Gupta are not eliminated, people won't be able to walk free on the road," said convicted policeman Ratnakar Gautam Kamble.
He told the court that people are living a fear-free life because such criminals are not there.
On Friday last, Mumbai sessions court had convicted 21 persons, including 13 policemen, but acquitted the former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma.
The prosecution has sought capital punishment for all the convicted policemen.
Suryavanshi told the court that he is ready to go to the gallows if there is enough evidence to prove his guilt.
He also said the prosecution had not brought several documents before the court as evidence and if they did, all the accused could have defended themselves.
Some of the convicted policemen pleaded mercy saying they have family to look after while some said they were victims of the system. Some others said they were just following the orders of the seniors and that they have had clean records while they were serving the force.
As per the prosecution, on November 11, 2006, police picked up Ram Narayan Gupta and his friend Anil Bheda from neighbouring Vashi and killed Gupta in a fake encounter in Versova in Western Mumbai on the same evening.
The High Court had ordered a probe by a special investigation team after a magisterial inquiry concluded that it was a fake encounter.
