LUCKNOW, Aug. 28 -- The scathing remarks by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on the Shravasti "half-encounter" have put the UP Police's much-touted encounter policy under fresh scrutiny and prompted a rethink within the department and the state government's legal team on how such cases are documented and defended in court. The policy itself may not be rolled back, but the manner in which encounter cases are presented before courts is likely to change. The Lucknow bench's August 13 order, in which Justice Subhash Vidyarthi flagged 10 major loopholes - ranging from "13 cops in one vehicle" to "two perfect shots in a moonlit night" - is now being seen as a case study in how inconsistencies in FIRs, charge sheets and affidavits can undermine a police version. Senior officers acknowledge that poor drafting, copy-paste narratives and weak affidavits are giving an easy handle to courts to question bona fides of the entire action. A senior state government counsel said, "Half-encounter cannot be justified with half-baked paperwork. The court did not say the encounter was fake, but said our story does not add up. We need to present facts with evidence, not filmy narrative." The CBI probe ordered into the Shravasti case is to be completed within three months. It will also examine whether the prosecution was conducted with undue haste, including the reported conviction within five months of the offence, and whether the accused had access to legal aid at the remand stage. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on November 23. The high court observed what it described as a pattern: "Day in and day out... police apprehend a person, it gives rise to another FIR alleging accused indulged in indiscriminate firing against police team. Normally, not even a pellet touches the uniform of any police person, and all escape unhurt. The police fire one shot, and it hits the accused on his knee or below it." Data shows hundreds of such "half-encounters" - where accused are shot in leg to prevent escape - have been reported in the last few years. While police call it effective deterrence against crime, courts are increasingly asking for scientific corroboration....