Concerned with inordinate delay in missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed’s case, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed central forensic sciences (CFSl) laboratory in Chandigarh to expeditiously examine the mobile phones of nine students, who are suspects in Najeeb disappearance case.

The court expressed concern over the delay in the forensic analysis of the seized phones and asked the laboratory to give its report by March 19.

A Bench of Justice S Muralidhar and IS Mehta said it was “constrained” to issue specific directions to the director of CFSl, Chandigarh, to expedite the process of forensic analysis of the seized electronic devices and give the report to the CBI, which is probing the case.

The direction came after the court was informed by the CBI counsel that the investigating officer (IO) had visited the CFSl office on February 9, after repeated reminders sent earlier.

Advocate Nikhil Goel, appearing for the CBI, said the forensic officials had informed the CBI officer that the mobile phones of the nine persons were still under examination and the report will be given soon. He said the experts also conveyed to the IO that several other requests from the Supreme Court and High Courts to expedite examination were also pending.

To this, the court noted that this petition has been filed by Ahmed's mother Fatima Nafees since he went missing in October 2016 and the court has been hearing it since then. Her anxiety is understandable, it said.

“From the CBI's status report, analysis of mobile phones of the nine persons would be a critical step in the investigation,” the Bench said.

The CBI also placed on record its status report in a sealed cover indicating the steps taken by it so far and the counsel for Ahmed's mother was allowed to read only certain portions of it.

Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Nafees, refused to disclose the details of the report saying it would not be appropriate to give the details as the report has been filed in a sealed cover. He said those who had threatened Najeeb a day before he disappeared have not been taken into custody yet and sought a court-monitored probe.

CBI counsel also told the court that a team from JNU had blocked its office on Monday and even the officers were not allowed to enter or exit the premises. “It is not a fear-free environment. This is why we had requested for in-camera hearing earlier,” he said.

Najeeb had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on October 15, 2016 following a scuffle with some other students, allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the previous night.