Calcutta High Court orders CBI inquiry into Rizwanur case

Kolkata, Oct 16 (UNI) Calcutta High Court today ordered a CBI inquiry into the death of Rizwanur Rahman, the investigation of which was described as 'illegal'.

''The bench held that the investigation carried out by the CID was illegal under the CrPC,'' Kalyan Banerjee, lawyer of the petitioner said.

Justice Soumitro Pal, who passed the interim ruling after eight days of intensive hearing, held that the central investigating agency has to submit the report within two months.

The Court passed the order on a writ petition filed by Rizwanur's mother Kishwar Jahan and brother Rukbanur.

The Court also wondered how Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee could have called the death of Rizwanur a suicide, although post mortem reports were still awaited.

After the verdict was pronounced in a packed court room, Rukbanur said, ''We are happy over the judgement. We hope the truth will now prevail.

Former West Bengal Chief Minister Siddharth Sankar Roy and social activist Mahasweta Devi yesterday expressed their concern over the state government's lack of initiative in this regard.

Ashok Todi, a city-based businessman in Kolkata, was the father-in-law of Rizwanur Rehman, whose body was found lying near the railway tracks near Kolkata railway station.

Jaymalya Bagchi, Mr Todi's counsel, had contested the CBI demand before the bench of Justice Soumitro Pal, arguing that the enquiry report on criminal proceedings be submitted before the magistrate's court and not the High Court. This was the reason behind the contradiction in the demand for a CBI enquiry before the high court.

The government had already completed a judicial enquiry into the investigation.

UNI