Cal HC sets aside single judge order on CBI probe into woman's death

The Calcutta High Court today set aside a single judge order directing the transfer of probe into the unnatural death of a Raniganj businessman's wife to the CBI from the state CID.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice J Bhattacharya and Justice A Banerjee directed that the CID will continue its probe and asked the state investigating agency to file a progress report within three months.

The bench set aside the August 21 order of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha following an appeal by the West Bengal police.

Justice Mantha had directed the transfer of the investigation into the unnatural death of Pushpa Bhalotia, who died on October five, 2017, to the central agency.

Justice Mantha had noted that there were glaring gaps in the progress report filed by the CID, which had taken over the investigation from the local police.

It had been claimed by her husband Manoj Bhalotia, a well-known businessman in the mines and business town, and his family members that Pushpa had committed suicide by setting herself afire at their residence at Raniganj in West Burdwan district.

The 39-year old woman was found with burn injuries and was taken to a private hospital in Durgapur where she succumbed.

The post mortem report, however, said that there was a bullet injury in her forehead which could be the reason for her death, apart from the burn injuries, counsel for the woman's brother, who had filed a petition in the court seeking a CBI probe into her death, had said.

Questioning as to how she could shoot herself and then set herself afire or vice versa, Pushpa's brother Gopal Agarwal had filed a murder case against her husband and his family members.