Jharkhand: The judge’s death in Jharkhand on Wednesday was at first believed as a ‘hit and run’ case but now has turned with security footage of the incident pointing at murder.
As the incident was raised in the Supreme Court today, NV Ramana, Chief Justice of India, said “we are aware of the case and we will take care.”
The police informed that the driver of a tempo that hit District and Additional Judge Uttam Anand in Dhanbad has been arrested along with an associate.
According to the police, Judge Uttam Anand, during his morning run yesterday, was hit by “an unidentified vehicle”, just half a killometer from his home in Dhanbad.
The CCTV footage shows the judge jogging at around 5 am as a tempo takes a turn and appears to go straight for him. The tempo hits the judge and drives off.
“Judge Anand was found lying on the road, bleeding, by a man who took him to the hospital. He died in hospital, and remained unidentified for hours, said the police”.
He was reported missing by his family when he did not return by the expected time. The police enquired and confirmed his death.
The police said “the CCTV footage makes it clear the tempo hit him deliberately. Investigations have revealed the vehicle was stolen just a few hours before the judge was hit”. The clip circulating on social media calls for a bigger investigation.
The police are focusing on Judge Anand’s cases. Anand had been handling many cases of mafia killings in Dhanbad and had recently rejected the bail requests of two gangsters.
Chief Justice NV Ramana said that he had spoken with the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. “The High Court Chief Justice has taken up the issue and the case is now on at the High Court. We are aware of the case and we will take care,” informed Justice Ramana.
Highlighting the incident before a bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud, lawyer Vikas Singh said “It is a brazen attack on judiciary. This is a matter which should go to the CBI. The local police is usually complicit in such matters. It is shocking. A judge is on a morning walk and is hit by a vehicle. He was dealing with bail applications of gangsters. This is an attack on judicial independence”.
