By Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: Reacting to the Supreme Court’s rejection of all petitions seeking an independent probe into the mysterious death of Justice Brijmohan Harikishan Loya, opposition parties Thursday said it is “sad letter day” in India’s history and reiterated the demand for a “fair” probe into the death of Judge Loya.
Addressing a press conference, Congress leader, and In-charge Communication Department, Randeep Singh Surjewala said “today is a ‘Sad Letter Day’ in India’s history.
Judge Loya’s suspicious death had anguished and caused concern in large sections of our populace for he was trying the Tulsiram Prajapati / Sohrabuddin encounter case, where one of the accused was none less than BJP National President, Shri Amit Shah, he said.
The verdict of Supreme Court has left many questions unanswered for all those seeking fair investigation and justice in the death of Judge Loya, he added.
The Supreme Court today dismissed petitions seeking a SIT probe into the death of Judge Loya, ruling that the death was due to “natural causes”, observed that the petitioners tried to “scandalize” the judiciary.
While attacking the ruling BJP, Congress leader asked why the ruling party is afraid of any investigation?
He pointed that not even judiciary can decide whether a death is natural or not without an investigation.
Even the four senior-most Judges of the Supreme Court also raised Judge Loya’s death in their unprecedented press conference, he recalled.
Judge Loya’s “suspicious death” at a Nagpur guesthouse in November 2014 had anguished many for he was trying a case where one of the accused was (now) BJP President Amit Shah, and the apex court’s verdict left many questions unanswered for all those seeking fair investigation and justice, he added.
Listing the chain of events leading to Judge Loya’s “mysterious death” Surjewala said members of Loya family, judges, jurists, the bar, media and people at large hinted at a conspiracy and adding that even Loya’s family had publicly stated that clothes on his body were blood-stained.
Furthermore, two associates of Judge Loya who were allegedly informed about the pressure being mounted on him to let off the accused also died under suspicious circumstances in 2015 and 2016, but no case had been filed or investigation is done, while a third narrowly escaped, Surjewala said.
When asked BJP is trying to target the Congress party on the issue, Surjewala said BJP’s attempts to make false political capital out of the judgment must be condemned.
He clarified that the Congress was not a petitioner and the original petitioners were Bombay Advocates.
“Congress including 14 other political parties raised the issue before the President of India and in people’s court and for a vile BJP to misinterpret SC’s judgment to attack the Congress reflects their jitteriness and frustration,” he said.
“We reject and condemn the malicious attempts of BJP to misinterpret Supreme Court judgment for finger-pointing.”
Meanwhile, CPM also termed the top court judgment as “unfortunate”. The 22nd Congress of Communist Party of India (Marxist), which is in session in Hyderabad issued, a statement in this regard. It said the circumstances of Justice Loya’s death raised several questions and the CPI(M) holds that the matter should be reviewed by “a larger Bench of the Court”.
It is to be noted that after Judge Loya’s death, Amit Shah was discharged and CBI refused to file an appeal against it.
