SC bench headed by CJI to hear judge BH Loya death case

NEW DELHI: The pleas regarding the death of special CBI judge BH Loya will be heard before the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on January 22. 

Two petitions have been filed seeking independent probe into the death of judge Loya who was holding the trial in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh shootout case.

The petitions have been filed by social activist Tehseen Poonawala and Maharashtra-based journalist Bandhuraj Sambhaji Lone. 

The supplementary cause list issued on Saturday states that the bench headed by CJI Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud will hear the petitions.

In the past, the two petitions were being heard by the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra.

The allocation of the death case of Judge Loya's to a relatively junior bench was one of the issues raised by four rebel judges in their unprecedented press conference on January 12.

The bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra on January 17 recused itself from hearing the matter after the bench directed that all the documents furnished by the Maharashtra government to the court relating to the death of Judge Loya be shared with the petitioners seeking independent probe.

The Maharashtra government has submitted documents related to the death of Judge Loya. The state government told the apex court that barring certain confidential reports placed by them, the petitioners can access all other documents related to the case.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Maharashtra, told the bench that documents contained certain confidential material which cannot be shared in public and they cannot be given to petitioners -- a journalist and a Congress leader.

Salve later told the court that the documents could be shown to the petitioners' counsel but they should not make it public and they would mark the confidential documents.

The petitioners' counsel also assured the court that they would not make any of the documents public.