India News | SC Asks Rajasthan Police to Conclude Probe in Death of Jodhpur NLU Student in 2 Months
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Supreme Court Wednesday directed Rajasthan Police to complete within two months its ongoing investigation in the case of death of a third year student of National Law University, Jodhpur, in August 2017.
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) The Supreme Court Wednesday directed Rajasthan Police to complete within two months its ongoing investigation in the case of death of a third year student of National Law University, Jodhpur, in August 2017.
A bench headed by Justice R F Nariman said this while hearing through video-conferencing a plea filed by the victim's mother who has sought transfer of the case from Rajasthan Police to the CBI.
"Having heard Manish Singhvi, senior counsel appearing on behalf of the state, we are of the view that the investigation which is ongoing, pursuant to the high court's order dated February 24, 2020, must be completed within a period of two months and final report be filed before this court," said the bench, also comprising Justices Navin Sinha and B R Gavai.
The apex court has posted the matter for further hearing on September 7.
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Singhvi informed the bench about the status of probe going on in the case.
Neetu Kumar Nagaich, mother of 21-year-old victim Vikrant Nagaich, has also sought a direction to the CBI to take all steps to "solve the mystery of the unnatural death".
The apex court had earlier agreed to hear the plea and sought response from the state and others.
While claiming that an FIR was lodged in the case after a delay of around 10 months, in June 2018, the petitioner has alleged that the manner in which probe has been conducted "leads to an inescapable reasonable apprehension" that it is a result of a "probable collusion to shield some high, mighty and influential person(s)".
"Despite lapse of almost three years, no charge-sheet has been filed. The investigation is at a stand-still, with no effort made to apprehend the offenders," said the plea.
It has pointed out to several alleged lapses in the investigation conducted by the police.
It said that on August 13, 2017, the victim went to a restaurant, around 300 metres from the varsity campus, with his friends in the evening but he did not return and his body was found next morning near the railway track.
It has alleged the police has neither approached Google or Facebook nor retrieved the victim's mobile phone data which could have helped in tracing his movement to ascertain the events on the night of August 13, 2017 and led to further probe.
The plea has claimed that the police has also not retrieved the victim's chat conversations from WhatsApp on the night of the alleged incident.
It has said chat conversation would have been important in ascertaining who the victim was talking to or planning to meet at that hour and it would also have been instrumental in unearthing the events which led to the death.
"The chronology of events raised a reasonable suspicion that the death of petitioner's son was not merely an accident, or suicide but was something more grave and profound, which demanded immediate consideration and investigation," it said.
"However, the same was not carried out by the investigation agency, and the petitioner was left dismayed and devastated after the death of her only child," the plea said.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)