Dhanbad judge intentionally hit by autorickshaw: CBI to Jharkhand HC

RANCHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday informed the Jharkhand high court that deceased Dhanbad judge Uttam Anand was “intentionally” knocked down by the accused autorickshaw driver on July 28 morning, leading to his death.
Appearing before a division bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Narayan Prasad of the court online, the probe agency’s east zone joint director Sharad Agarwal said CBI has put its officer on round-the-clock duty to uncover the truth behind the judge’s death.
While stressing that the death of the judge is not an accident but an intentional one, Agarwal, however, said the theory of a conspiracy behind the death needs to be investigated.
After hearing him, the bench observed that the death of a judge is the first of its kind in the country and has shaken the morale of the judiciary.
“Time is the essence in this investigation and the more time is spent, the harder it will be to ascertain the truth,” the bench said.
Agarwal also informed the court that the autorickshaw driver, Lakhan Sharma, is a habitual offender and had earlier committed mobile thefts. “He has been changing his statements and the CBI is doing everything to reach the depth of the matter,” the officer said.
Judge Uttam Anand was on a morning walk near the Randhir Verma Chowk, a posh area in Dhanbad, on July 28 at 5 am, when he was hit by the autorickshaw. The vehicle has a passenger sitting in front along with the driver. The CCTV footage showed a motorcyclist going behind the autorickshaw and noticed the injured judge on the ground but drove away without providing help. Anand lay on the road unattended and was subsequently rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The police had taken up the investigation with the Dhanbad SSP initially with the DGP assuring the court of a speedy inquiry. However, the government recommended a CBI investigation later.
The CBI took up the matter on August 4 and is trying to link the dots together but has not achieved any major breakthrough as yet. The high court has also been monitoring the CBI’s investigation. The agency has submitted sealed reports to the court on the stages of the investigation done so far in the case.