Hearing the death case of CBI judge BH Loya, the Supreme Court today transferred two cases in the matter from Bombay High Court to itself.
The SC bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra said that 'as of today, it was a natural death', adding that the issues raised in petitions are 'serious' and 'we must look into all documents with utmost seriousness'.
The top court also asked other high courts not to entertain any PILs on the issue relating to judge Loya's death, and posted the matter for hearing on February 2.
It also asked for all documents related to the case from Maharashtra and the Bombay Lawyers' Association, which filed a petition in the Bombay HC in the same matter.
The bench also asked lawyers not to cast aspersions on BJP president Amit Shah, asserting that he is 'not a party for before it'.
CJI Misra got angry when a senior woman lawyer inferred that the top court is going to gag the media. He asked her to retract her statement and apologise.
Besides CJI Dipak Misra , justices AM Khanwilkar DY Chandrachud are also on the bench.
A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had on January 16, had ordered the matters to be listed before an appropriate bench and had not fixed any specific date for the hearing.
It had left it to the Maharashtra government to decide which documents, relating to Loya's death, could be handed over to the petitioners.
The apex court, in its January 16, order, had said, "Let the documents be placed on record within seven days and if it is considered appropriate, copies be furnished to the petitioners. Put up before the appropriate bench".
Congress leader Tehseen Poonawalla and Maharashtra journalist BS Lone have filed petitions in the Supreme Court demanding orders be passed to conduct an independent probe into the case.
Loya, who was hearing the sensitive Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, had died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014, when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter. In the encounter case, BJP president Amit Shah along with Rajasthan Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria, Rajasthan-based businessman Vimal Patni, former Gujarat police chief PC Pande, Additional Director General of Police Geeta Johri and Gujarat police officers Abhay Chudasama and NK Amin, have already been discharged.
The issue of Loya's death had come under the spotlight in November last year after media reports quoting his sister had fueled the suspicion about the circumstances surrounding his death and its link to the Sohrabuddin case.
However, Loya's son had on January 14 said in Mumbai that his father died of natural causes and not under suspicious circumstances.
The court had earlier termed as "serious matter" the issue of Loya's death and had asked Maharashtra government to file certain documents, including the autopsy report.
The case was earlier listed before a bench of justices Arun Mishra and MM Shantagoudar. This was believed to be one of the reasons for the virtual revolt by four senior-most apex court justices against the CJI.
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