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HomeIndiaDhanbad judge's death intentional, three-wheeler drivers deliberately hit him, CBI tells HC

Dhanbad judge’s death intentional, three-wheeler drivers deliberately hit him, CBI tells HC

CBI submitted 4 forensic reports to Jharkhand HC that said Judge Uttam Anand's accident was planned and he was intentionally hit by the three-wheeler drivers.

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New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Thursday told the Jharkhand High Court that the death of Dhanbad additional district judge Uttam Anand in a hit-and-run case was intentional and not accidental.

CBI Joint Director Sharad Aggarwal submitted four forensic reports to the court, which noted that 49-year-old judge was intentionally hit by a three-wheeler, seemingly a tempo, on the morning of 28 July.

“The Joint Director informed the court that investigation so far conclusively suggests that Judge Uttam’s accident by the vehicle leading to his death was intentionally done. The forensics report was submitted to the court in sealed covers. The case is being monitored by the high court every week since the date of occurrence of the incident,” a source in the high court told ThePrint.

“The Joint Director also informed the court that the investigation has moved forward and is in its last stage,” the source noted, adding that the bureau had been stating for the past two court hearings that the incident was planned.

He further said that the CBI is also studying the results of the brain mapping tests conducted on the two accused — Rahul Verma and Lakhan Verma — who were arrested on 29 July.

According to sources in the CBI, meanwhile, the investigation is in its last stage.


Also read: CBI announces Rs 5 lakh reward for information on Dhanbad judge’s alleged murder


Jharkhand HC had pulled up CBI

The CBI’s submission comes almost two weeks after the Jharkhand HC called out the slow pace of the investigation.

On 2 September, a division bench led by Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan had expressed displeasure at the progress in the case and had asked the bureau to submit a status report on the investigation.

The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of Judge Anand’s demise on 30 July and had sought a report on the investigation by Jharkhand’s Chief Secretary and Director-General of Police. The top court also asked the Jharkhand High Court to monitor the case weekly.

While CBI has said the judge was intentionally hit by the vehicle, an earlier report by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, had ruled out criminal conspiracy in the case and termed it an “unfortunate road accident”.

The SIT had stated that the two accused were “small time miscreants” and drug addicts, who were high on sedatives and illicit liquor on the day of the incident.

The CBI took over the case from the Jharkhand Police on 4 August.

Judge Anand was out on a walk near his house in Dhanbad around 5 am on 28 July, when he was struck by the three-wheeler.

CCTV footage of the incident showed the judge jogging on the deserted edge of a road, and the vehicle veering to the left of the road right behind him before fatally hitting him. The vehicle then moved away from the spot.


Also read: Jharkhand SIT blames ‘sedative’, claims ‘no conspiracy’ in Dhanbad judge’s death


 

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