Maharashtra 'open to reinvestigating' Loya case; BJP alleges political motive
What's the story
Days after taking charge as Maharashtra's Home Minister, Anil Deshmukh on Thursday addressed the likelihood of the government reopening the murky case of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya's death. Judge Loya died in 2014 when he was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case of Gujarat. Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah was an accused in the case.
Details
Some people meeting me demand case be reopened: Deshmukh
Speaking to the reporters on Thursday, Deshmukh said, "Our government is open to reinvestigating the Loya death case. Some people are meeting me today to demand that the case be reopened. I will hear them out and if necessary, the case will be reinvestigated." When asked if the people meeting him were Loya's family members, Deshmukh said, "I don't want to disclose that."
NCP
Earlier, Sharad Pawar indicated reopening of Loya case
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik told PTI that the Loya case will only be reinvestigated if there is substantial evidence. Malik's clarification came after a three-hour meeting of NCP ministers, presided by party chief Sharad Pawar. Notably, Pawar had indicated last month that the Shiv-Sena-Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra may reopen the Loya case if there's a demand and need.
Information
Documents sent to Deshmukh similar to ones sent to Sibal
Further, officials told Hindustan Times that the documents submitted to Deshmukh in the case are similar to the ones sent to Congress leader and SC lawyer Kapil Sibal after which, he had held a presser demanding an SC-monitored SIT probe into Loya's death in 2018.
BJP's response
Nothing but politics, says BJP's Fadnavis
Expectedly, the BJP decried the move as "politically motivated." Former Maharashtra CM and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Devendra Fadnvais said, "Raking up the Loya death case after the SC verdict is nothing but politics. The government cannot defeat the truth whatever it does." BJP leader Ashish Shelar asked if Deshmukh is "following the law or acting with a certain prejudice?"
History
Judge Loya died of cardiac arrest while attending a wedding
To recall, Judge Loya died of cardiac arrest on December 1, 2014, while attending a colleague's daughter's wedding. He was hearing the case of fake encounters of Sheikh and his wife Kausar Bi in 2005 and close aide Tulsi Prajapati in 2006. Then Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah, Rajasthan Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria, senior IPS officials were among those accused in the case.
Aftermath
Loya's successor had acquitted Shah
Suspiciously, not only did Loya die mid-way through the hearings, his successor acquitted Shah and the other accused in the case. Questions were raised once again after Loya's family furnished curious details about his death—an inconsistent time of demise, bloodstains on his clothes, a head injury, etc.—in The Caravan's 2017 report. The family also claimed he was under pressure to deliver a favorable judgment.
SC verdict
SC held Loya died of 'natural causes'
Following a public outcry, the Supreme Court in January 2018 observed that the case was a "serious matter." However, in April that year, the court ruled that Loya died of "natural causes" and accused the petitioners of launching a "frontal attack on the independence of the judiciary," also threatening criminal contempt. The court also dismissed a review petition in the case in July 2018.