The Supreme Court on Monday said the Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice will monitor weekly the progress made in the CBI probe into the alleged mowing down of a judge by a vehicle on July 28 in Dhanbad, and observed that the sealed cover report of the central agency did not contain much details.

A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and justices Vineet Saran and Surya Kant asked the CBI to file its report weekly with the high court where the bench headed by the Chief Justice would monitor it.

The Supreme Court on July 30 took suo motu cognisance of the alleged murder of Jharkhand judge Uttam Anand and said the case “concerns the larger issue of safety and security of judicial officers in the country”.

The top court had noted that it had come across several instances of attacks on judicial officers and lawyers inside and outside court premises in different parts of the country. The CJI had said the court might issue notices to all states and Union Territories for framing appropriate guidelines for the safety of judicial officers.

Additional district judge Anand, who had denied bail to two alleged gangsters last week, was jogging around 5am on a two-lane road near Dhanbad city’s Magistrate Colony when an auto-rickshaw hit him from behind. He died in hospital.

Initially it was thought to be a hit-and-run incident but Anand’s family lodged an FIR for murder after the police showed them the CCTV footage. A video clip on social media, which officials have confirmed as leaked CCTV footage, shows a man jogging by the roadside when an auto swerves sharply from the middle of the lane, knocks him down and speeds away.

The Supreme Court had said it was deeply concerned over the rising instances of assault on judicial officers and advocates. The independence of the judiciary can be maintained only when judges and lawyers function fearlessly.

“An unfortunate incident happened on Wednesday where an ADJ was hit by an autorickshaw. This gruesome incident was rightly reported in newspapers and on social media, the same was taken into cognisance by the chief justice of (Jharkhand) HC,” Justice Ramana said.

“Taking into consideration similar incidents all over the places for judges and some places against lawyers as well”, CJI Ramana said “the matter involves the larger issue of safety and security of judicial officers in the country”.

“So we have decided to take up the matter suo motu and issue directions. We are aware that Jharkhand High Court has already taken suo motu cognisance of the incident,” Justice Ramana added.