Judge Loya’s mysterious death: The Caravan releases video testimony, activists demand probe

After the revealing, damning series of circumstantial evidence that casts a cloud over Nagpur police, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Amit Shah, the BJP national president, who was facing trial in the CBI court for the fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, The Caravan has released a video testimony of the late Judge BH Loya’s family which raises several questions surrounding his mysterious death.

In a press conference held in New Delhi on Wednesday, the political editor of The Caravan Hartosh Singh Bal asserted that publishing of the story had nothing to do with Gujarat election as the BJP is trying to portray.

The press conference was held by senior editors of The Caravan and members of civil society Shabnam Hashmi, Sayeda Hameed and Apoorvanand among others.

In a revealing conversation, the editors of The Caravan told the media that Niranjan had gone to other media houses with this story but no one was willing to publish it since it pointed towards the involvement the national president of the ruling BJP, Amit Shah.

Hartosh Sing Bal along with executive editor Vinod K Jose attended the conference . Social activists demanded investigation into Judge Loya’s death.

Former member of the planning commission, Syeda Hameed said that after the disturbing facts about Judge Loya’s case emerged, the belief on independent and impartial judiciary has been shaken.

Members of the civil society demanded security for editors of The Caravan and journalist Niranjan Takle who conducted the entire investigation and for Judge Loya’s family members, though the editors have refused security. Activist Shabnam Hashmi added that they were asked to not hold the press conference.

BH Loya was appointed judge in the special CBI court Mumbai in June 2014. The court was hearing Sohrabuddin case in which BJP’s national President Amit Shah was prime accused. Loya reportedly died of heart attack in the night of November 30. The exact circumstances of his death are not known and Judge Loya’s family did not speak to the media after his death.

Journalist Niranjan Takle has been speaking to the Loya family since November 2016. After several meetings and conversations, disturbing facts about Judge Loya’s death and Sohrabuddin encounter killing case have emerged.

The Caravan has been publishing Niranjan Takle’s revealing and disturbing investigation, but surprisingly, very few media outlets have paid attention to it.

National Herald on Tuesday carried the story highlighting these questions and quoting Judge Loya’s sister and father who said that Judge BH Loya was offered a bribe of ₹100 crore and a house in Mumbai to pass a favourable judgment in Sohrabuddin encounter killing case. The judge had also confided to his family that he would rather retire or take a transfer than to take the bribe.