The hearing in the string of writ petitions seeking an independent probe into the death of CBI special judge Loya concluded on Friday, with Senior Counsel Mukul Rohatgi, appearing on behalf of the state of Maharashtra, making his final submissions In context of the credibility of the discreet inquiry carried out by the Commissioner of State Intelligence, he submitted before the Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice D. Y. Chandrachud and Justice A. M. Khanwilkar, “The officer who has conducted the discreet inquiry is of the rank of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DGP)…he is among the senior most officers in the state of Maharashtra”. In response to Justice Chandrachud’s remark at the previous hearing regarding the vigilance manual, in accordance with which the state had conducted the discreet inquiry, being applicable only to offences of corruption by public servants, Mr. Rohatgi advanced, “The discreet inquiry carried out in the present case draws a parallel from the anti-corruption inquiry…this was the case of the death of a judge; a similar inquiry could also have been conducted regarding a prominent politician…such inquiries are conducted discreetly so that the subject of the inquiry does not find out”. Responding to Advocate Prashant Bhushan’s submission, made in reliance on an article dated February 11 published in the Caravan citing the observations of renowned forensic expert Dr. R. K. Sharma (formerly the Head of Forensics Department at the AIIMS, New Delhi) that he had rendered upon examination of judge Loya’s medical reports, Mr. Rohatgi clarified,… [Read full story]
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