Loya ruling: Fadnavis seeks apology from Rahul Gandhi, Communist leaders

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today demanded an apology from Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Communist leaders and a few media houses for "attempting to malign" the image of BJP chief Amit Shah in the judge B H Loya death matter.

He said the Supreme Court, in its decision today on PILs seeking independent inquiry into the judge's death, has accepted "the inquiry report submitted by the state government.

Three years after Loya's death, an attempt was made to create suspicion and target Shah, Fadnavis said.

The Supreme Court's ruling exposed the "Congress, Communists and a few media houses (which had taken up the issue)", the chief minister told reporters in Parbhani in Marathwada region of the state.

The petitioners wasted the apex court's time and lied to the country, Fadnavis claimed.

"They must apologise to the Supreme Court and the country. Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi, the Communist parties, their allies" and "some media houses" must apologise" to our country for spreading such utter lies against our (BJP's) national president Amit Shah," he tweeted later.

The Supreme Court today dismissed pleas seeking an independent probe into the death of special CBI judge B H Loya, ruling that the judge died of natural causes and the petitions were a serious attempt to scandalise and obstruct the course of justice.

The top court dubbed the PILs into the death of judge Loya, who was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, as frivolous and motivated litigations.

Loya died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014 where he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter.