Justice Loya’s Death: SC to Hear Independent Probe Plea on Monday

At the time of his death, Judge Loya was assigned the Sohrabuddin case, where BJP chief Amit Shah is a main accused.

Judge Loya died on 1 December 2014, allegedly under “mysterious circumstances.’ At the time, he was hearing the Sohrabuddin encounter case, where BJP chief Amit Shah is a main accused.

(Photo: The Quint)

Hearing two separate pleas seeking an independent probe into the death of Judge BH Loya, the Supreme Court on Friday, 12 January, sought the judge’s postmortem report from the Maharashtra government, while observing that the matter was "very serious".

The Bench also listed for hearing the pleas seeking an independent probe into the death of CBI special judge BH Loya on 15 January, reported Live Law.

What Are the Pleas?

Maharashtra-based journalist BR Lone filed an independent plea seeking a fair probe into the mysterious death of Loya, who was hearing the sensitive Sohrabuddin encounter case – in which various police officers and BJP president Amit Shah were named as parties.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud on 11 January, took note of the submission seeking urgent hearing on the plea for a probe into Loya's death.

The second litigation was filed by Congress leader Tehseen Poonawalla, who in his plea contended that the circumstances revolving around the death of the judge were "questionable, mysterious and contradicting”.

‘Mysterious Death’

The death of the judge came into the limelight on 21 December 2017, after The Caravan magazine published an interview with Loya’s sister Anuradha Biyani, and father Harikrishan, who alleged foul play in the death.

The publication uncovered alleged manipulation in almost every public record on the night of Loya’s death. These include the records in the occupancy register of the government guest house in Nagpur where Loya was staying and anomalies in the ECG chart reportedly made in Dande Hospital – the first medical institution where Loya was taken that night.

Days afterThe Caravan story was published, Justice Loya’s son Anuj Loya rubbished the report, saying that he was convinced the judge had indeed died of a heart attack, and that his family did not doubt the “integrity of investigative agencies”.

In a letter to Bombay High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur, accessed by The Times of India, Anuj had said: "We have full faith in the members of the judiciary who were with him on the night of 30 November 2014."

(With inputs from ANI, PTI and IANS)

(This is a developing story and will be updated)

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