Post Mortem Says Loya Died of Coronary Artery Insufficiency

“There was nothing suspicious in the histopathology report of Justice Loya,” a cop said.

Special CBI Judge B H Loya died of "coronary artery insufficiency", a senior police officer said on Wednesday, 17 January, citing the report of the post-mortem examination conducted on him at a Nagpur hospital nearly three years ago.

The investigation into the death case registered under Section 174 of the CrPC at Sadar police station, was closed after the post-mortem report received from the Department of Forensic of Medicine of Government Medical College and Hospital, which conducted the autopsy, the officer, who did not wish to be named, said.

“There was nothing suspicious in the histopathology report of Justice Loya. As no poisonous element was found in his body as per the histopathology report and doctors confirmed the cause of death as coronary artery insufficiency, the Investigation Officer (IO) had closed the probe,” the officer said.

According to the officer, the judges, who accompanied Justice Loya during the Napgur tour, had alerted the deceased's relative Rukmesh Pannalal Jakhotia, a resident of Aurangabad, that Loya had suffered a heart attack early on 1 December, 2014.

"Jakhotia asked Dr Prashant Rathi, a resident of Ravi Nagar, Napgur, to visit the hospital after which Dr Rathi arrived at Meditrina Hospital at around 6am. Dr Rathi had accepted Justice Loya's body. Statements of Dr Rathi and doctors were recorded by the police during the investigation," the officer said.

Loya's body was sent to his village Gategaon in Latur district in an ambulance (MH-40/Y-8262) and a constable from Traffic Control Branch, Prashant Thawre (batch no. 554) and two judges followed the ambulance in their car, the officer said, showing documents available with him.

Three days back, Anuj Loya, the son of Justice Loya, who was hearing the sensitive Sohrabuddin Sheikh "fake encounter" case, had said that his family was convinced that his father died of natural causes.

"My father died of natural causes, our family is convinced it was a natural death...I have made myself clear that we do not have a suspicion...It was a natural death," Anuj had told PTI on Sunday.

Talking to reporters later, Anuj had said although he and his family earlier had suspicions about his father's death, they no longer harboured such doubts.