Himachal: CBI probe to continue into Negi's death case
Though a division bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma partial relief to superintendent of police Sanjeev Gandhi has accepted the plea only to the extent that it pertains to the personal and professional reputation of Gandhi and the other SIT members, stating that their professional standing should not be undermined.
The division bench while hearing Gandhi's Letters Patent Appeal (LPA), refused to 'modify' and interfere with the transfer of the probe to the CBI, but issued notices to all respondents, including the Union of India, the CBI, the State of Himachal Pradesh and the family of the deceased, on the issue of personal and professional remarks made against Gandhi and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) he had constituted.
The High Court has now issued notices to all parties involved in the original proceedings, the Union of India, CBI, State Government, and the deceased's family on the limited issue of personal and professional comments in the earlier order.
The next hearing is scheduled for July 14, and respondents have been permitted to file replies in the meantime.
The court held that observations made by Justice Ajay Mohan Goel in its order of May 23, against Gandhi, as supervising authority of the SIT, were not maintainable to the extent that they impacted his service record.
The court, however, refused to interfere with the decision to transfer the investigation to the CBI, terming that part of the plea as non-maintainable. It reiterated that a central agency probe is warranted to ensure crucial evidence and witness statements are preserved.
Gandhi's counsel, advocate Sanjeev Bhushan while speaking to reporters said, 'Our concern is professional reputation. We had investigated the matter diligently and honestly. Remarks based on reports that were never shared with us should not stand uncontested.'
He had earlier argued in the court that certain references to the status reports by the DGP and ACS (Home), adopted by the single judge, 'unfairly tarnished his image'. He had submitted that the status report filed by the then Director General of Police and the report by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) had not been shown to Gandhi or the SIT, and no opportunity was provided to respond.
Sanjeev Gandhi, currently on medical leave, has filed a Leave Petition in his personal capacity before the Himachal Pradesh High Court, challenging the May 23 single bench order that transferred the investigation into the mysterious death of Negi to the CBI.
Gandhi through the petition has urged the high court to modify the order passed on May 23 be ordered to be 'modified to the extent that instead of handing over the investigation may be very kindly be ordered handed over to SIT being constituted by high court rather than handing over to CBI or central agency which is under control of UoI in order to avoid any conflict of interest.'
Negi went missing on March 10 and his body was recovered from Bhakra Dam in Bilaspur on March 18. Kiran Negi, the deceased's wife, moved the high court on April 9 seeking a CBI probe which was allowed on May
23.
Through the petition Gandhi said that as the affidavit filed by DGP HP 'was with ulterior motivate therefore the scathing observations
qua the investigation based upon the said affidavit may be set aside and the contents of the said affidavit may be set aside.'
The high court while allowing petition seeking CBI investigation on May 23, had observed, 'If the Director General of Police of the state himself has a concern about the fairness of the investigation, then even if this investigation is being carried out by the SIT in right earnest, it shall never instill confidence whatever may be the report of the SIT.' 'This court is of the considered view that in this case, there is an exceptional situation, which requires that the matter be investigated by the CBI,' ruled the high court while allowing the petition seeking CBI investigations.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
43 minutes ago
- The Hindu
CBI-backed Interpol Red Notices doubled since 2023 with India's diplomatic, tech push
Interpol's Red Notices issued at the CBI's request have more than doubled annually since 2023, showing a paradigmatic shift in the country's pursuit of fugitives by building on the deliberations during the hosting of the Interpol General Assembly and G20 summit as well as by embracing technological sophistication, officials said on Sunday (July 20, 2025). The Lyon-based International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had issued 25 Red Notices in 2020, 47 in 2021 and 40 in 2022. Since 2023, the number of Red Notices issued on India's request spiralled with remarkable alacrity— 100 notices in 2023, 107 in 2024 and 56 in the first six months of 2025, the latest data seen by the PTI shows. The Interpol traditionally issued eight coloured notices for different purposes to 195 member countries, alerting them on a request from a country. It has added a ninth one— Silver Notice— on a pilot basis this year, in which India is also a participant, to track illicit assets parked abroad. A Red Notice (RCN), the most important one to track a fugitive, is a request issued by Interpol to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action. It is the first crucial step in pursuing the extradition of a fugitive who escaped to a different country to evade the law. All state and central agencies submit their request for Interpol Notices to the CBI, which is the nodal agency for India for all Interpol matters. The CBI then makes the requests for the Notices to Interpol and coordinates with the intergovernmental organisation in follow-up. "It is only after an RCN is issued that a fugitive can be located abroad. Once the alleged criminal is located, diplomacy and law enforcement work in tandem to secure the extradition or deportation," an official in the know of the process said. The uptick was not only visible in terms of Red Notices issued on India's request, but also in other colour-coded Notices as well. The Blue Notices, through which a country seeks information about a person, have gone up from 47 in 2020 to 68 in 2024 and 82 till now in 2025; Yellow notices, used for seeking details of abductions, disappearances or identity issues, have gone up from one in 2020 to 27 in 2024 and four in 2025 (till now). In total, 145 Interpol Notices have been issued in 2025 till now, as compared to 73 issued in 2020. Last year, 208 Notices were issued by the Interpol, the data shows. The increase in the number of Notices by Interpol at India's request can be attributed to a confluence of deft diplomacy, institutional assertiveness and technological modernisation, besides the meticulously hosted Interpol General Assembly in November 2022, followed by the G20 Summit in 2023, officials said. On a special request from India, the Interpol General Assembly was held in 2022 here to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of Indian Independence, 25 years after the global confluence of police chiefs was held here in 1997. Normally, each of the 195 member countries gets a chance to hold the annual event on a rotation basis. The Assembly served as both a symbol and a catalyst, deepening the agency's operational rapport with Interpol's General Secretariat in Lyon, they said. The G20 Summit held in 2023 further burnished India's image at the international level. Ostensibly an economic conclave of 20 big countries and regions, the event enabled ancillary security collaborations, lubricating internal legal cooperation and consensus on extradition of fugitives. In both events, India made a strong argument in favour of the extradition of fugitives wanted by a country and the denial of "safe havens" to criminals. The CBI, which is the National Central Bureau of India, also took a leap in terms of digital sophistication, employing advanced data analytics, digitised dossiers, AI-powered profiling and seamless integration with Interpol's I-24/7 network. In 2023, the CBI top brass emphasised on making Interpol engagement seamless and cutting down on the processing time of requests coming from state police, besides building on the negotiations during the General Assembly and G20. The agency developed an in-house portal, Bharatpol, operationalised in January, which made the process of RCN -- historically mired in paperwork and procedural torpor -- frictionless and cut down the time from an average of six months to three months. The results translated in terms of extradition as well, with the CBI coordinating closely with Interpol, as well as state and central enforcement agencies, to secure the extradition or deportation of 134 fugitives since 2020. Of these, 23 were brought back this year alone. In contrast, only 74 fugitives were returned during the decade between 2010 and 2019. The results are encouraging but far from the targets that the agency has set for itself. "Thousands of Interpol requests are being issued on the request of big countries, while our requests are in the hundreds. We are moving forward and we have to further improve our processes to ensure that fugitives are not able to find safe havens anywhere," an official said.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Liquor ‘scam': YSRCP MP played key role in policy changes
SIT arrests YSRCP MP Midhun Reddy VIJAYAWADA: YSRCP MP PV Midhun Reddy, arrested by an Andhra Pradesh Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the alleged liquor scam case, has been remanded in judicial custody till Aug 1. Following his arrest Saturday night, he was taken for medical exam to Vijayawada Govt Hospital on Sunday and later produced before ACB Special Court. According to the remand report, Midhun Reddy has been named as accused No 4 in the case related to alleged irregularities in the state's liquor policy between 2019 and 2024, resulting in a 'misappropriation' of about Rs 3,500 crore. The report alleges Midhun Reddy played a role in orchestrating policy changes and coordinating with co-accused to secure kickbacks from distilleries and suppliers. The SIT alleged Midhun Reddy influenced Andhra Pradesh State Beverages Corporation Ltd officials. According to SIT, kickbacks collected from liquor suppliers were routed through a hierarchical chain. The funds were first collected and handed over allegedly to Kesireddy Rajasekhar Reddy, who then 'transferred' them to ex-MP Vijay Sai Reddy, Midhun Reddy, & businessman Govindappa Balaji. These individuals 'transferred' money allegedly to ex-CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy . To execute scheme, officers 'amenable' to the accused's designs were 'strategically appointed to key positions' within govt.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Medical staff loses Rs 20 lakh in online fraud
Berhampur: A medical staff in Berhampur allegedly lost over Rs 20.50 lakh through fake online trading and investment schemes. The victim, a 30-year-old man, had transferred money online to a trading app from June 10 to July 11, police said. A case has been booked under Sections 318 (4) of the BNS Act and 66D of the IT Act at the cyber police station here, following an FIR by the victim on Friday. Police are investigating the case to identify the fraudulent trading company and try to recovery the money. A police officer said they are also trying to freeze the bank accounts of the firms, suspecting their involvement in other online frauds. Police added that at least four bank accounts were involved in the case and verification was on to establish the state of those accounts. Last month, the victim received a call on a social media platform and received a link which appeared to be from a popular online trading firm. The caller assured him of getting a good profit from his investment. Initially he received a profitable return, which encouraged him to invest more. From June 10 to July 11, he invested over Rs 22.50 lakh and transferred the money to four accounts of different banks as per the direction of the caller. Recently, he tried withdrawing Rs 80,000 bonus towards his investment, as assured by the caller but he could neither access the funds nor the bank accounts. The scammers had assured to give him Rs 3 lakh against an investment of Rs 1 lakh. "We have repeatedly urged people not to invest their money on any online trading firm without proper verification. Despite this, people continue to fall prey to cybercriminals. If anyone identifies himself as an officer of TRAI or CBI and starts threatening you, immediately bring it to the police's notice," Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said.
