Congress seeks court-monitored probe into Judge Loya’s death

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NEW DELHI – Denying that it is politicizing the issue of Judge B.H. Loya’s death, the Congress on Monday demanded a court-monitored inquiry into it, saying the matter relates to a vital organ of the Indian democracy.

“Nobody is suggesting that Congress party will be appointing a commission of inquiry. The whole argument that the party is politicizing the matter is false.

“We as a responsible stakeholder of Indian democracy, as a party are asking for an inquiry. The country wants a court-monitored independent inquiry,” said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

“My comments have nothing to do with the so-called Supreme Court imbroglio. I think every citizen in this country and every political party is independently entitled to ask for a fair and comprehensive inquiry into his death.”

Singhvi also said: “If a matter impinges on a vital organ of Indian democracy, then the demand for an inquiry is a demand by responsible stakeholders, and is not dependent on whether a family member wants it or not.”

This comes a day after Judge Loya’s son Anuj Loya said his family had no suspicions now regarding the death. He also said they were being “harassed” and “victimized”.

Singhvi said: “I have read the letter of Anuj Loya, son of Judge Loya, written in February 2015. The letter is very specific…requiring an inquiry in writing… There is then a clear doubt and suspicion of a grave kind expressed by one sister of Judge Loya, Anuradha Biyani.

“I have also quoted the shorter but clear suspicion expressed by the other sister of Judge Loya, Sarita Mandhane. She also contemporaneously has expressed grave doubt.”

Singhvi maintained that even Judge Loya’s father and an one of his uncles also expressed their doubts about the his death, adding that as a citizen, member of the family, and as an individual he would be very much for an inquiry.

Judge Loya died of heart attack on December 1, 2014 while on a visit to Nagpur, where he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague’s daughter.

At that time, he was handling the sensitive Sohrabuddin Sheikh case in which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah was one of the accused (but later discharged), besides top Gujarat Police officers.

Singhvi said: “A matter of public and national interest is not dependent for an inquiry on whether anyone asks for it or deny and oppose it.”