CJI-led bench of Supreme Court to hear Justice Loya death case today

The Supreme Court will today hear pleas filed by three petitioners seeking probe by a Special Investigation Tribunal (SIT) into the alleged mysterious death of CBI judge Justice BH Loya in 2014.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra, will hear the petitions.

The assignment of the case was also one of the causes of the recent rift between the Chief Justice of India and four senior judges of the Supreme Court who wanted it to be heard by a senior judge.

The two other judges who will hear the case today are Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice AM Khanwilkar.

It was previously being heard by Justice Arun Mishra, a relatively junior judge in the top court, and Justice MM Shantanagoudar. 

Earlier this month, the top court had asked the Maharashtra government to submit the postmortem report of the CBI judge, who had died in alleged suspicious circumstances, stating that the "matter was very serious."

The report was handed over to the Supreme Court in a sealed envelope on January 16.

The report into Justice BH Loya's death says there was no foul play in the judge's death, sources in the Maharashtra home ministry have told the Zee Group. 

Judge Loya had died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014, when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter. At that time was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, in which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah is an accused.

The judge who replaced judge Loya, had ruled that there was no evidence against the BJP chief to be put on trial.

Foul play in the judge's death, after speaking to his family, was first alleged by a magazine.

Loya's family has since said that they no longer believe foul play was involved in his death. 

Anuj Loya, the son of special CBI judge, said on January 14 that the family has no complaints against anyone. 

"Have no suspicion over father's death. Had suspicion earlier but now it is over," Anuj said at a press conference in Mumbai 

Maharashtra-based journalist Lone and activist Tehseen Poonavala had filed independent pleas seeking a fair probe into the death of Justice Loya, media reports said.