The Supreme Court bench headed by CJI Justice Dipak Misra will on January 22 (Monday) hear the pleas seeking an independent probe into the alleged mysterious death of CBI judge BH Loya.
According to the list of business released by the Supreme Court, besides the CJI, justices AM Khanwilkar DY Chandrachud will also be on the 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 fuelled 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.
Earlier this week, the Maharashtra government had submitted all the documents asked by the SC related to Loya’s death in a sealed cover. After this, the court had directed the state government to share the relevant documents with the petitioners.
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.
