An additional district and sessions judge Uttam Anand died in Dhanbad (Jharkhand) and the Supreme Court has sought a report from the Jharkhand government. The SC gave the state government time till next week for the report to be filed.
The Supreme Court, via a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana and justice Surya Kant, took suo motu cognizance of the judge’s death. A case has been registered as “Re: Safeguarding Courts and Protecting Judges (Death of ASJ Dhanbad)”.
The judge was on morning walk when he met with a fatal road accident and an auto-rickshaw hit him from behind on Wednesday. The CCTV footage of the accident has triggered speculations that it may have been a pre-planned murder, not an accident. The video is now viral on social media.
Meanwhile, Bihar Judicial Services Association wrote to All India Judges Association, seeking a strong stand and a detailed inquiry into the alleged murder.