The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the death of special Central Bureau of Investigation (
CBI) judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya, who was conducting a trial in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case -- Amit Shah, now the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was an accused -- does not merit an independent probe. The apex court dismissed petitions seeking a special investigation team (SIT) probe into
judge Loya's demise and held that he died of "natural causes". Holding that there was absolutely no merit in the petitions, the court also rebuked the petitioners, saying that it became clear from their PILs that there was "a real attempt and frontal attack" on the judiciary's independence.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and judges A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud delivered the 114-page judgment. In all, there were five petitions, including those filed by Congress leader Tehseen Poonawala and Maharashtra-based journalist B S Lone, seeking an independent probe into judge Loya's death.
