AICC in-charge communications Randeep Singh Surjewala. (Files)
In the wake of the Supreme Court dismissing pleas seeking an independent probe into the death of special CBI judge B H Loya, Congress said it was a “sad letter day” in India’s history and added that the ruling has “left many questions unanswered”.
The party also hit back at the BJP, which alleged that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was the “invisible hand” behind the pleas and demanded that he apologise. Accusing the BJP of indulging in “cheap politics”, Congress argued that the party was neither a petitioner nor a party to the case. The BJP’s attack on the Congress reflects its “jitteriness and frustration”, said Congress communication department head Randeep Surjewala, adding, “If BJP and its spokespersons believe Judge Loya’s death was natural…why are they fearing a probe?”
“When those sitting in the government come out against a probe…it creates doubts…The demand for a probe is opposed only when there is a fear regarding an investigation…” he said.
The Congress said the “issue of criminality or lack thereof can only be decided through an investigation (and) no one, without an investigation, can decide whether death is natural or not.”
“We respectfully disagree with the conclusions arrived at (by the Supreme Court). We believe there is material that was never placed before the Supreme Court. There is material that can only be examined in an investigation and not in a public interest litigation….There are discrepancies in documents that were not (placed) before the apex court as Maharashtra never placed them.”
“There are pieces of evidence and link chain evidence available and all of which need to be investigated. And may be post that investigation, the investigators may arrive at the same conclusion as the PIL verdict has arrived at. In the interest of justice, as the maxim says justice should not only be done but seem to be done…..so in this case, we believe the matter needs to be thoroughly investigated with all the evidence, documents and discrepancies therein…. so as to arrive at a just conclusion….” he said. The Congress pointed out that four of the seniormost judges of the Supreme Court had in a press conference mentioned Judge Loya’s case. “Are they also anti-nationals,” he said.
The Congress asked whether “statements of some judges made in an administrative enquiry before a police officer can be the sole yardstick for arriving at a conclusion, more so when there is suspicion being raised by available forensic evidence, opinion of experts, documents, discrepancies and statements of various witnesses… pointing towards a possible conspiracy?”
Reacting to the judgement, Prashant Bhushan, who was counsel for an intervener in the case, tweeted, “SC bench headed by CJI dismissed the petitions seeking Indep Inquiry into Judge Loya’s death, saying there’s no reason to disbelieve 2 Bombay judges who said(w/o affidavit)that 3 judges slept in room with 2 beds. This despite the ECG & Histopath report falsifying Heart attack story.”