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Dhanbad judge death: CBI has no evidence to back its claims, says HC
CBI, however, assured the court it was pursuing the investigation and needed some time to come up with concrete evidence to back its case, the lawyer said, adding that the court has fixed the next hearing in the case for November 12.
RANCHI The Jharkhand High Court on Friday expressed its displeasure with the investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the Dhanbad judge death case and said the agency had not conducted the probe professionally and levelled charges without any evidence to back it in the charge sheet.
Additional district judge Uttam Anand was mowed down by an auto-rickshaw in Dhanbad on the morning of July 28 this year. A CCTV footage that emerged shortly after showed the vehicle swerving to the left and hitting Anand on a road that had sparse traffic, leading to suspicions that it was a murder.
The Supreme Court and the Jharkhand high court had taken suo motu cognisance of the case.
“The court observed it was clear from the charge sheet that CBI still remains where it started from. There has not been much of difference between the investigation of the state police and CBI. They have filed the charge sheet without any clarity on the motive behind the murder, which will be considered a failure for a professional agency like CBI,” a lawyer who was present at the hearing said, quoting the division bench of chief justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and justice Sujeet Narayan Prasad of the HC.
CBI, however, assured the court it was pursuing the investigation and needed some time to come up with concrete evidence to back its case, the lawyer said, adding that the court has fixed the next hearing in the case for November 12.
The vehicle that mowed down Anand was found to be stolen from Dhanbad and was recovered from neighbouring Giridih district the same night. Two persons, auto driver Lakhan Verma, 22, and his accomplice Rahul Verma, 21, were arrested two days later.
Last week, CBI filed the charge sheet against the two under sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code.
CBI took over the probe on July 31 after the top court said the incident had larger ramifications for the independence of the judiciary. The state government had also recommended an investigation by the central agency into the case.
The HC bench also asked the state government to file an affidavit related to withdrawal of the advertisement to fill vacancies at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).
The Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission submitted that notification for recruitment in FSL was cancelled as rule regarding recruitment in the FSL has to be changed.
“On the next date of hearing, the state government has to reply explaining the facts about change in rule and cancellation of notification,” the lawyer quoted above said.
