Dhanbad Judge Death Case: SC Asks CBI to Give Weekly Report to Jharkhand HC

Additional District Judge Uttam Anand was killed in a road incident on 28 July in Jharkhand's Dhanbad.

(Photo: Quint Hindi)

The Supreme Court on Monday, 9 August, directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit a status report on the investigation into the death of Dhanbad Additional District Judge Uttam Anand in Jharkhand High Court every week, reported LiveLaw.

The apex court also said that the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court would monitor the case.

The Jharkhand government on 31 July had recommended a probe by the CBI into the death of the Dhanbad-based judge.

On 3 August, the high court also directed the probe agency to start the investigation at the earliest, so that no evidence is destroyed. Accordingly, the CBI registered a case on 4 August and took over the probe.

The judge was killed on 28 July in what was initially thought to have been an accident in Jharkhand's Dhanbad. The deceased, who was hit by a tempo, while jogging near the Randhir Verma Chowk in the city, is now suspected to have been murdered.

A case was earlier registered by Dhanbad police after Anand's death during his morning walk. After the CCTV footage of the incident surfaced, the Jharkhand government had formed an SIT (special investigation team) to probe the matter. But, later it recommended the CBI probe into the death.

Two suspects – including the driver of the vehicle, Lakhan Verma, and his associate, Rahul Verma – have been arrested in connection with the case so far.

The family of the judge had called his death a "planned murder" and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

(With inputs from LiveLaw)