Murder Of Jharkhand Judge In Daylight : SCBA President Mentions Matter Before Supreme Court; Seeks CBI Probe
The shocking daylight murder of Additional District Judge Uttam Anand of Jharkhand was brought to the attention of the Supreme Court by the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association Senior Advocate Vikas Singh on July 29.
Mentioning the matter before a bench headed by Justice DY Chandrahcud, Vikas Singh called the murder of the judge by hitting him with a vehicle while he was out on a morning walk a “brazen attack on judiciary”.
Disturbing CCTV visuals of the vehicle attacking the judge during his morning walk on public road in Dhanbad had emerged on July 28. Vikas Singh told the bench that a person was seen zooming the visuals as if to ascertain if the judge was killed and it was shocking.
“This is a matter which should go to the CBI. Local police is usually complicit in such matters. It is shocking. A judge is on a morning walk and is hit by a vehicle!. He was dealing with bail applications of gangsters. This is an attack on judicial independence”, Vikas Singh submitted before the bench. He urged that the Supreme Court should take suo motu cognizance of the issue.
Justice Chandrachud suggested that the mentioning should be made before the Chief Justice of India. However, Singh replied that mentioning was not available before the CJI on July 29.
Justice Chandrachud said that he will use his good offices to convey the message to the CJI.
Vikas Singh also agreed to attempt to mention before the CJI. Later in the day, Vikas Singh mentioned the matter before the Chief Justice of India.
CJI NV Ramana then informed that he had a word with the Chief Justice, Secretary General and the Registrar General of the Jharkhand High Court. The Jharkhand High Court initiated an investigation into the matter, the CJI said.
“The Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice has taken up the case. Now he’s directed officers to be in court and matter is going on there”, CJI said.
That be so, the involvement of the Supreme Court at the present juncture may not be necessary, the CJI said. He also appreciated the effort taken by the SCBA to highlight the issue.
“This has to be taken by CBI. If someone who rejects a gangster’s bail is killed like this, there will be no judiciary in this country”, Vikas Singh said.
Judge Uttam Anand hailed from Hazaribag in Jharkhand. He passed out from St. Xavier’s school Hazaribag in the year 1987. He was posted as Additional District and Sessions Judge VIII at Dhanbad.
On July 28, at about 5:00 a.m when he went outside the campus of judge’s colony for a morning walk, he was attacked by a vehicle. The video footage created suspicion as to the manner of death.
Local media reported that the offending vehicle (an auto-rickshaw) was seized and two suspects were arrested on 28th night. The auto-rickshaw is allegedly a vehicle stolen on the previous night of the incident. It was reported that the accused were apprehended from a petrol pump based on the CCTV footage.
Source: Livelaw.in