stop harassment, beg kin of deceased CBi judge loya
MUMBAI — Dismissing any “suspicions” over the death of CBI Special Judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya, his family members on Sunday appealed to the media, lawyers, NGOs and others “not to harass” them in the matter.
Addressing a hurriedly convened press conference, Anuj Loya and other relatives said that for the family, Judge Loya’s passing in December 2014 was “a sad and private matter”.
“The family has been traumatised since his demise. We are pained by the chain of events in the past few days. We don’t want any probe in his death. There’s no suspicion in the matter (of his passing),” Anuj said, with other members of the Loya flanking him.
The family’s lawyer Ameet Naik said the family, including Anuj are “very disturbed” about the entire issue and urged the media not to politicise the incident.
Many people are trying to harass the family members and create panic among them, though there is “no suspicion in the minds of the family members” (over Judge Loya’s death), he said.
“Though tragic, there is no controversy. No need to politicise it. Let it remain non-controversial. We don’t want to be victims of politicisation,” Naik said on behalf of the Loyas. The family, which has appeared for the first time in public since the controversy over Judge Loya’s death surfaced in November 2017, urged the media to convey to the lawyers and NGOs not to constantly keep “harassing” them on this matter.
The Loya family media appearance came just two days after at least four top Supreme Court judges raised questions on Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra’s certain actions, which they said, had adversely affected the judiciary. At the time of his death in Nagpur, Judge Loya was handling the politically sensitive Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged staged shooting case of Gujarat, in which now Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah was an accused at one point in time - though later discharged.
This and other aspects are the subject matter of several petitions filed in Bombay High Court and also in the Supreme Court in recent weeks, while several lawyers, former judges, social personalities and others have sought a commission of enquiry to probe Judge Loya’s death.
In a related development, prominent citizens, NGOs, secular organisations, intellectuals, social and political activists, students and commoners have announced a 2 km long march from Oval Maidan to Gateway of India on Republic Day. The march will seek to highlight various current issues, including threats to independence of judiciary and secular fabric of the country, said Nationalist Congress Party legislator Jitendra Awhad said here. —