Retired Admiral l Ramdas has joined a clamour in certain quarters for a judicial enquiry into the alleged suspicious death of CBI Special Judge Brijmohan H loya during his private trip to Nagpur on December 1, 2014.
In a letter written to Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra with a copy to Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, Admiral Ramdas (retd) stated: “A judicial probe at this point, at least to respond to the queries raised by the family (of late loya), and to uphold the image of the judiciary in the eyes of the people of India, is absolutely necessary”
Justice loya (48) died of a “heart attack” when was hearing the alleged Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case – in which BJP‘s current national president Amit Shah was one of the accused. Justice loya’s family has raised several questions about the circumstances leading to his sudden death on December 1, 2014.
Justice loya’s death has triggered a debate in political circles and media, with among others Delhi Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, former chief justice of Delhi high court Justice AP Shah and Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi demanding a probe into the death.
In his letter dated November 24, 2017 which was released to media on Monday, Admiral Ramdas (retd) stated: “The silence of the two judges who apparently persuaded the late Judge loya to travel to Nagpur, and accompanied him, is disturbing to say the least”
“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 the 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,” he stated.
“As a former Chief of the 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 of India and the image of our entire legal system, a high level judicial enquiry be initiated immediately,” Admiral Ramdas (retd) said.
Admiral Ramdas (retd) prefaced his demand for a probe into Justice loya’s death, by saying: “All Democracies exist and survive on three main pillars – namely the Executive, legislature and the Judiciary. Freedom from British rule, was won after a prolonged struggle and the Indian Constitution was evolved after nearly two and a half years of debate in the Constituent Assembly, and passed on 29 November 1949 and India became a Republic on 26 January 1950. Our Constitution became effective”
“This one and only holy book (Constitutuion) which matters, subscribes to the above concept of our Democracy, wherein all our citizens are considered to be equal in the eyes of the law...This is all the more important when a CBI judge, Justice loya, specially appointed by the CJI of the Mumbai High Court to investigate the murder of Sohrabbudin , dies under mysterious circumstances while on a visit to Nagpur,” Justice Ramdas (retd) said.