'Attempts to scandalise judiciary': Here's what SC said dismissing pleas to probe Judge Loya's death

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed pleas seeking an independent probe into the alleged mysterious death of special CBI judge BH Loya, ruling that the judge died of natural causes.

Loya, who was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh case, had allegedly died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1,  2014  when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said there was no reason to doubt statements of four judges on circumstances leading to the death of Loya/

Here are five things the top court said dismissing the pleas.

1) The top court ruled that the judge died of natural causes and that the petitions were a serious attempts to scandalise and obstruct the course of justice. With these petitions it becomes clear that a real attempt and frontal attack was made on the independence of judiciary.

2) Documents placed on record and their scrutiny establishes that the death was due to natural cause.

3) Frivolous and motivated litigations have been filed to settle political rivalry. The petitioners have launched a veiled attempt to malign the judiciary and the credibility of judicial institutions has been questioned.

The three-judge bench criticised attempts by senior advocates and activist lawyers Dushyant Dave and Indira Jaising and Prashant Bhushan to make insinuations against judges including that of the apex court.

4) During arguments, counsel for petitioners forgot to maintain institutional civility towards judges and made wild allegations.

5) Courts are not the place to settle business or political rivalry which has to be fought in markets or elections.

► Attempt to malign image of BJP leader failed: Rajnath Singh

Welcoming the Supreme Court's verdict, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said an attempt to malign senior leaders of the party has failed, it is clear that the judiciary cannot be made a field for political battles.

►  Loya verdict will raise more questions: Congress

The Congress said that the Supreme Court judgment dismissing a batch of pleas will raise more questions and leave many of them unanswered unless logical reasons were found in it.

"Dispassionate analysis of Loya judgement must await its full reasoning. But unless logical reasons found in it, it will raise more questions and leave many unanswered," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said on Twitter.

► Petitions were wrong, says police

"The investigation was done professionally by Nagpur Police and those documents and evidence have been presented in the SC, the decision is based on that," Shivaji Bodkhe, Joint CP Nagpur said.

The issue of Loya's death had come under spotlight in November last year after media reports quoting his sister had fuelled suspicion about circumstances surrounding it and its link to the Sohrabuddin case.

However, Loya's son had on January 14 said in Mumbai that his father had died of natural causes.

In the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, BJP President Amit Shah along with Rajasthan Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria, Rajasthan-based businessman Vimal Patni, former Gujarat police chief P C Pande, Additional Director General of Police Geeta Johri and Gujarat police officers Abhay Chudasama and N K Amin have already been discharged.

Four senior-most apex court judges -- Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph -- at their January 12 press conference had questioned the manner in which sensitive cases were being allocated and Loya's case was one of them.

(With PTI & ANI Inputs)