SUPREME COURT ORDERS A CBI INVESTIGATION ON A JUDGE

Press Release/ Media Queries: Mr Ankit Raj, Manager, PR and Communication
(Email: Ankit_raj@jotwani.com || Cell Number: 9999561562)

New Delhi: September 6, 2024: A bench of the Honorable Supreme Court of India, comprising Justice HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE VIKRAM NATH and HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE PRASANNA BHALACHANDRA VARALE ordered a CBI probe into suspicious circumstances of the death of the spouse of an Additional District and Session Judge, Dantewada, Chhattisgarh.

Ms Ranjana Diwan (now deceased), an Advocate and Public Prosecutor, and Mr Manvendra Singh, an Additional District and Session Judge in the state of Chhattisgarh, got married on February 15, 2014, against the wishes of their respective families after a brief love affair. However, Ms Ranjana Diwan was found dead hanging over a ceiling fan in her house on May 15, 2016, in a very suspicious manner. The autopsy report, the next day, pointed out six injuries on her body which were ante-mortem ( caused 6-hrs before death). The family of Ms Ranjana alleged that the Judge murdered her as he was having a love affair with another judicial officer. They alleged that on the date of the death, Ranjana had seen her husband with another lady judge, and in the evening, a fight took place that resulted in the death of their death.

However, upon investigations by local police, a clean chit was given, and no FIR/ complaint was taken on record. In the Investigation of 50 witnesses, it was recorded that Ranjana was depressed as the couple did not have a child, and therefore, Ranjana committed suicide. Another medical report was brought on record that suggested that the injuries on the body of the deceased, Ms Ranjana, could have been caused as she fell on a sharp-edged table after hanging from the ceiling fan. After that, the local police closed the case, and even the High Courts of Chattisgarh only directed them to approach a local Magistrate with a private complaint under section 156 (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.

Feeling aggrieved by the Orders of the High Courts of Chhattisgarh, the family of the deceased approached the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India to seek justice for their daughter. Vide Orders dated September 6, 2024, the Hon’ble Supreme Court in SLP Number No. 12649 of 2023 observed the following,
Para 14: “It is true that power to direct CBI to conduct investigation is to be exercised sparingly and such orders should not be passed in routine manner. In the present case, the aggrieved party has raised allegations of bias and undue influence on the police machinery of the State of Chhattisgarh. Coupled with the fact that the thorough, fair and independent investigation needs to be carried out to find out the truth about the whole incident and in particular about the ante mortem injuries. We
are of the view that such a direction needs to be issued in the present case.  We accordingly allow this appeal, set aside the impugned order passed by the High Court and further direct the CBI-respondent no.8 to carry out complete and fair investigation and proceed in accordance to law into the incident and that too expeditiously considering the fact that the incident is of 2016 and submit a report to this Court.”
 

The Petitioners were represented by Mr. Dinesh Jotwani, Adv., Mr. Dhawesh Pahuja, AOR, Mr. Bhargava Baisoya, Adv., Ms. Shruti Singh, Adv., Ms. Shivalika Midha, Adv., Mr. Narendra Bahadur Tiwari, Adv., of the law firm Jotwani Associates, and additionalAdvocates on the Order SheetThe.

The Respondents State of Chhattisgarh, CBI and Mr Mavendra Singh were represented by Shri Tushar Mehta, Solicitor General, Mr. Avdhesh Kumar Singh, A.A.G., Ms. Anjana Prakash, Sr. Adv., Mr. Prashant Singh, AOR, Mrs Aishwariya Bahti, A.S.G., Mrs. Swarupama Chaturvedi, Sr. Adv. and additional Advocates on the Order Sheet.

A detailed copy of the Supreme Court Judgement in Special Leave Petition Number(CRL) No. 12649 of 2023 can be downloaded here: DOWNLOAD NOW.

A Copy of the Order Dated September 6, 2024 can be downloaded here: DOWNLOAD NOW