India, Sept. 26 -- The Supreme Court on Friday directed that the body of Katha Ramchandra Reddy, killed in an alleged encounter in Chhattisgarh earlier this month, be preserved in a mortuary until the Chhattisgarh High Court decides on a writ petition filed by his son challenging the encounter.

Reddy, described by the state as a Maoist commander carrying a bounty of nearly Rs.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. ...