CCTV footage showing an autorickshaw intentionally hitting Justice Uttam Anand, additional district and Session Judge of Dhanbad, from behind on a deserted road has raised doubts over his death on Wednesday morning while he was on his regular morning walk.
His family has now registered a complaint of murder with the police.
The judge's death was raised in the Supreme Court on Thursday, reports ndtv.com. Lawyer Vikas Singh mentioned it before a bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud, saying:
NDTV
The incident took place near Golf Ground less than 500 meter from his house at Judge Colony of Hirapur, when he was out for his daily morning walk during which, an unidentified four-wheeler hit him.
A passerby Pawan Pandey who witnessed the judge lying in a pool of blood rushed him to Sahid Nirmal Mahto Memorial Medical College and Hospital where he died during the course of treatment.
The body remained unidentified in the hospital for some time and a few people suspected the body to be of a policeman after which office bearers of the Police Men’s Association also reached at the SNMMCH but could not identify as any of its members.
Family members of the deceased Judge meanwhile raised an alarm at around 7 am when he didn’t return home and informed the police.
Police later launched a search for the judge and as per the information provided by police family members and staff deputed at the house of Anand reached SNMMCH where his bodyguard identified his dead body.
A high-level team of police led by city SP, R Ramkumar who also reached the site of the incident and collected some evidence from the site, and photography and videography of the incident site was also carried out as part of the investigation into the death.
Bansidhar Tiwari, District and Session judge of Sahebganj, had on Wednesday demanded Jharkhand High Court conduct a high-level probe into the incident as the CCTV footage clearly indicated some foul play behind his death.
The murder case of Ranjay Singh, close aide of Jharia MLA Sanjeev Singh was pending in his court and Justice Anand had recently rejected the bail petitions of two members of Aman Singh’s gang, a notorious criminal of Uttar Pradesh.
Hemant Sikarwal, member of Jharkhand Bar Council, termed the incident as intentional murder of a seating judge and demanded a CBI probe into the incident.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Banna Gupta on Wednesday also sought a report in connection with the death of Justice Uttam Anand from Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Sadeep Kumar and Senior Superintendent of Police, Sanjeev Kumar.
Senior civil lawyer of Dhanbad Swapan Mukherjee in his message on social media said,“Shocked and deeply pained to learn about the tragic and premature death of Sri Uttam Anand, District Judge of Dhanbad. I, on behalf of Bar Association Dhanbad condole his death.”
