HC summons CBI director to appear in the Dhanbad judge murder case

RANCHI, (PTI): The Jharkhand High Court on Friday rapped the Central Bureau of Investigation for filing a “stereotype” charge sheet in the Dhanbad judge murder case.

The high court while summoning the CBI Director to appear in the case also remarked that the agency seems to have worked like “babus” (clerks) while completing the probe and filing the charge-sheet.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dr. Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad while hearing the petition monitoring the investigation of Dhanbad Additional District Judge Uttam Anand’s death referred to CBI’s investigation as akin to `babu-dom’ as the charge sheet filed could not substantiate the charges made against the accused. The bench ordered the CBI director to appear in the virtual mode in the case.

The judges said that the charge sheet has been filed in a routine manner and seems to have been filed merely to complete a formality. The charge sheet was filed under Section 302 IPC which is used on charges of murder.

However, nothing has been substantiated in the charge sheet to pin the offence on the accused, the bench said.

The CBI had earlier on repeated occasions assured the court that investigation is proceeding in full swing and had even said that the connection of the two accused with several persons is being explored to link it with Anand’s murder. The charge sheet however, was vague and unclear, the judges observed.

Earlier, while hearing the petition the high court had questioned the Forensic State Laboratory and the state government about the vacancies in the laboratory. Due to absence of lab technicians, samples collected from the scene of crime in Dhanbad were sent out of the state for examination.

The high court which pulled up the state government for acting in a ”Kumbhakaran” (mythical Lankan prince who slept for half the year) manner, directed Jharkhand state to ensure that all appointments in the forensic laboratory be completed within three months.

The government had earlier assured the high court that it will fill up the vacancies within six months. The murder of Uttam Anand has also been caught on camera and the CCTV footage has gone viral showing him walking near the Randhir Verma Chowk, a posh area in Dhanbad on July 28 morning. The judge was hit by an auto rickshaw with a passenger sitting in the front along with the driver. (PTI)