Judge Loya death case: SC refuses to review earlier verdict

New Delhi, July 31: The Supreme Court has rejected a petition that sought a review of the verdict in the judge B H Loya death case. The review plea which was heard in the chambers of the judges was rejected on the ground that there was no need to go into the original verdict. The judges observed that the verdict was a considered one and did not mandate a review.

The SC had agreed to take up the matter after the Bombay Lawyers Association sought a review of the verdict.

The matter was however not be heard in open court, but in the chamber. The review was sought after the Supreme Court had on April 19 said that Loya had died of natural causes. It also observed that there was nothing suspicious in the death and the case does not merit a further inquiry.

The special CBI judge had died of a cardiac arrest in 2014, while hearing a murder case where BJP chief Amit Shah had been named. The judge who replaced him ruled there was not enough evidence against Amit Shah to merit a trial.

The case triggered a huge controversy, after the judge's family alleged that he had been under threat and his death took place under mysterious circumstances. However in January, the judge's son, Anuj said that the family had no suspicion about the death.

In its decision in April, the Supreme Court called the petitions for investigation "scandalous" and a "frontal attack on the judiciary". The court also said that it took "strong exception" to the Insinuation that "one individual controls judiciary".