Opposition leaders meet President, demand independent probe into Justice Loya's death

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who met President Ram Nath Kovind over the Justice Loya death case today, said that Members of Parliament were uneasy over death of judge Loya and two others and wanted an independent probe into his death.

MPs from several political parties, including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the DMK, met the president and presented him a memorandum with the demand.

"Two of judge Loya's alleged confidants have also subsequently died under suspicious circumstances. Srikant Khandalkara, a public-spirited lawyer in Nagpur, allegedly fell from a high-rise building in the District Court on November 29, 2015 and Prakash Thombre, a retired District Judge, allegedly died on May 16, 2016 falling from the upper berth in a train," the memorandum states.

The Opposition leaders including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Kapil Sibal of the Congress, filed a petition before the president, asking for a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the judge's death.

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"Many MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha felt discomfort over it and also feel that the matter should be probed and an SIT should be formed," Rahul Gandhi said after the opposition delegation met the President.

"One-hundred-and-fourteen MPs from 15 parties signed the memorandum. His (Judge BH Loya) death is suspicious, there have been two other suspicious deaths. The President gave a positive response," Rahul Gandhi added.

"We just want to have a proper investigation done by an independent structure that gives us the outcome."

The Supreme Court is currently hearing the case.

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.