SC orders CBI probe into Karnataka cop Dy SP M K Ganapathy's death

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into Karnataka police officer Dy SP Ganapathy's suspicious death. The order comes as a huge blow to K J George who was accused of harassment by the deceased officer in a television interview.

M K Ganapathy's family moved the Supreme Court against the Karnataka High Court refused to intervene in the matter of handing over the probe to the CBI. Despite stiff opposition and arguments put forth by the state government on the ongoing investigations by the CID in the case, Supreme Court Bench comprising of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Uday Lalit ordered a CBI probe. "In the interest of justice, the matter should be investigated by the CBI. There are certain startling facts in the case. An investigation is a fair manner in required to decide whether it is a case of murder or suicide," the bench observed.

The controversy over Ganapathy's death had forced George to resign as the then Home Minister of Karnataka. The CID however, was quick to give a clean chit to K J George, paving the way for him to make a comeback in the Karnataka cabinet in a different role. The CBI has been asked to conclude the investigation within three months in the case where two senior police officers were also named accused. Ganapathy's son and wife had claimed that they had no trust in the state agencies and had sought a CBI inquiry into the matter. The Supreme Court has accepted the same and has ordered the central agency to probe the alleged case of suicide.

Reacting to the Supreme Court's decision to allow CBI to probe the case, BJP state Chief B S Yeddyurappa demanded that K J George resign. "We welcome the Supreme Court's verdict ordering a CBI probe into the suspicious death of Dy SP Ganapathy. To ensure a fair and free investigation, K J George must resign immediately," a statement from B S Yeddyurappa said.

Dy SP M K Ganapathy was found dead in a lodge in Kodagu hours after he gave an interview to a television channel in 2016. In the interview, Ganapathy had accused K J George, the then Home Minister of Karnataka and A M Prasad and Pranob Mohanty, senior IPS officers, of harassment. The Karnataka government, despite demands from the family and the opposition parties, had refused to hand the case over to the CBI. The BJP in August this year had accused the Congress government of a massive cover up in the case and threatened to go on a statewide protest if the case was not handed over to the CBI.

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