Mumbai: Protesters seek fresh probe into Loya death case

A group of over 30 people held a brief protest in south Mumbai, seeking a fresh probe into the alleged suspicious death of special CBI judge B H Loya in 2014.

The protest was held near the Gateway of India on Thursday, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Around 36 protesters, who were wearing T-shirts with 'Who killed Judge Loya?' written on it, took part in the protest that lasted for about 15 minutes.

They also held a banner with the image of Mahatma Gandhi and 'Satyamev Jayate' written on it.

"Justice Loya died under suspicious circumstances. Our demand is that the death case must be properly investigated and the government should file a case. A court trial should be held," one of protesters later said.

"After the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of NCP-Shiv Sena and Congress came to power, our hopes about a fresh probe into the case have brightened," he said.

When asked, police said that they had not been informed about the protest and no permission had been granted for it.

Loya, who was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case of Gujarat, had died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014, when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter.

Earlier this month, a Maharashtra minister had said that the state government would consider investigation into the alleged suspicious death of Justice Loya if it gets any complaint with 'substantial evidence'.

The Supreme Court had held that Loya had died of "natural causes", and had rejected PILs seeking an SIT probe into the death.

The SC had held that petitions were moved by political rivals to settle scores which was a serious attempt to scandalise the judiciary and obstruct the course of justice through a "frontal attack" on its independence.