RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court has made it clear that the hit-and-run case of Dhanbad Judge will be handed over to the CBI if the state police show any laxity in its probe, said Jharkhand HC Advocate Association Treasurer Dheeraj Kumar.
During the hearing on Thursday, the HC also expressed its displeasure over Dhanbad SSP changing his statements over the timing of the registration of the FIR, saying it creates suspicion on the entire incident. The court, however, said it has full confidence over the assurance given by DGP that investigations will be done professionally.
“The CCTV footage clearly show that it is not an accident, but it is a matter of investigation. It appears that the incident was executed only to demoralise judicial officers in the state,” the court observed.
Judge Anand, who was hearing several high-profile cases, had recently rejected the bail applications of two accused persons belonging to gangster Aman Singh, a notorious criminal from Uttar Pradesh. Some other cases like murder case of Ranjay Singh, a close aide of Jharia MLA Sanjeev Singh, were also pending before his court.
Meanwhile, to expedite investigation into the hit-and-run case, a 22-member SIT headed by ADG (operations) Sanjay Anand Latkar has been formed. CID and forensic teams have also been roped in.
“An SIT has been formed under ADG (Operations) Sanjay Anand Latkar to look into the details of the matter. The SIT will investigate taking all aspects into consideration,” said Jharkhand police spokesperson and IG A V Homkar. The ADG will be assisted by DIG Bokaro and SSP Dhanbad, he added.
Homkar added that rickshaw driver Lakhan Kumar Verma, who was arrested along with his aide Rahul Verma, has admitted he was driving the vehicle when the incident took place. During the probe, it was also revealed that the vehicle, which was used to hit the Judge, was stolen from Dhanbad a few hours before the incident.