Retd Admiral Ramdas asks SC to probe Justice Loya's 'mystery' death

At the time of his death, Justice Loya, 48, was hearing the politically sensitive Sohrabuddin encounter case

Retired Admiral L Ramdas on Monday sought a special judicial enquiry to investigate the sudden death of a CBI Special Judge Brijmohan H Loya on December 1, 2014 when he was on a private trip to Nagpur.

At the time of his death, Justice Loya, 48, was hearing the politically sensitive Sohrabuddin A. Sheikh 'encounter' case while he was in custody of the Gujarat Police in November 2005 in which an accused was BJP President Amit Shah, later acquitted.

In his letter dated November 24 to Chief Justice Dipak Misra and released to the media on Monday, Admiral Ramdas said: "Justice Loya, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court to investigate the murder of Sohrabuddin (A. Sheikh), dies under mysterious circumstance while on a visit to Nagpur."

The silence of the two judges, who apparently persuaded the late Justice Loya to travel to Nagpur (Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice Sunil Shukre) and accompanied him, was very disturbing, to say the least, he added.

"The inaction of the judiciary about this sequence of events thus far is indeed surprising. This is all the more puzzling in the context of recent revelations by family members of the late Justice Loya who have raised certain questions, apprehending foul play in the circumstances leading to his sudden death," Admiral Ramdas said in his letter.

He added that a judicial probe at this point, at least to respond to the queries raised by the family and to uphold the image of the judiciary in the eyes of the people, was "absolutely necessary".

"As a former Chief of Indian Navy, I feel strongly that it is critically important to clear any doubts about this entire incident. Therefore, in the larger interests of the nation and its people, and above all in upholding the Constitution and the image of our entire legal system, a high-level judicial enquiry should be initiated immediately," Admiral Ramdas said.