BH Loya case: Judge's son Anuj says he doesn't see 'anything suspicious' in his death

"Our family is pained by the chain of events in past few days. Please don't harass us," Justice BH Loya's son, Anuj Loya said to the media during a press conference on Sunday

File image of Justice BH Loya. Facebook@Mohamed Riyas DYFI

The press conference was held two days after top Supreme Court judges took on Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra alleging 'selective' allocation of cases to benches. Warning that democracy is at stake, four senior judges of the Supreme Court had on Friday mounted a virtual revolt against the country's chief justice, raising questions on "selective" case allocation and certain judicial orders, sending shockwaves across the judiciary and polity.

The judges had mentioned the allocation of a petition on judge Loya's death as an issue they had raised.

"There is no controversy, no need of politicising the issue. This is a tragic event. We do not want to be victims of politicisation of the issue. Let it remain the way it is, non-controversial," lawyer Ameet Naik said at the conference on Sunday. "This is a matter of great grief for the family...Anuj is very disturbed about the issue. Anuj has held this press conference to clear the air about this," he added, reiterating his plea to the media to avoid politicising the death of BH Loya. Anuj's cousin and a family friend were also present during the press conference.

When Anuj was asked if he wanted an investigation into his father's death, the 21-year-old said, "I am no one to decide if there should be an investigation. I don't think there was anything suspicious about this."

Special CBI judge Loya, who was presiding over the Soharabuddin "fake encounter" case at the time, died in Nagpur on 30 November 2014, where he was visiting to attend a colleague's daughter's wedding. He was said to have suffered a heart attack.

Regarding the Supreme Court's probe into Loya's death, the apex court said the "mysterious death" of BH Loya was a "serious matter" and sought a response from the Maharashtra government on pleas seeking an independent probe into it. A bench of justices Arun Mishra and MM Shantanagoudar asked Maharashtra government counsel Nishant R Katneshwarkar to file a reply by 15 January.

With inputs from agencies