In his report, Allahabad District Judge Shri Kant Tripathi has said, “The head injury was caused by some external force and not due to any disease.” He has also indicated serious lapses on the part of the jail authorities and violation of the jail manual, like denying Awasthi treatment and keeping him in chains.

Awasthi was sent to jail in a contempt case by the High Court.

He died in the Swaroop Rani hospital on May 13, allegedly after torture and ill-treatment by the jail authorities. He had been sent to the hospital only after his condition deteriorated on May 10.

On Friday, a division bench of the Allahabad High Court, comprising Chief Justice H L Gokhale and Justice Vineet Saran, directed the state government to file a counter affidavit on the inquiry report and fixed August 29 as the next date of hearing.

The High Court had ordered the inquiry on a petition filed by an adovate.

The inquiry report said that Awasthi was assaulted and ill-treated on May 2 in the jail by guard Chandra Shekhar, but was not sent to the hospital.

The report holds the then senior jail superintendent S K Sharma, deputy jailer S S Yadav and other jail employees responsible for the assault and torture of the lawyer.