Jharkhand: The demise of a district and additional Judge Uttam Anand in Dhanbad, Jharkhand is being reinvestigated post reviewing CCTV footage which indicates that his death was caused by murder.
Judge Anand was out for his morning walk when the unidentified vehicle hit him. The police have arrested the driver of the tempo and his associate after viewing the CCTV footage which they argue is clear proof that they wanted to cause the judge harm.
While the death was initially ruled out as a hit-and-run, CCTV footage has shown the tempo taking a turn and heading straight towards Judge Anand as it rams into him and drives off.
Chief Justice of India NV Ramana discussed the matter with Jharkhand High Court and stated that the case would be handled with care as it has been taken up by Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice.
When the issue was raised before the Supreme Court judge DY Chandrachud earlier, lawyer Vikas Singh remarked that “It was a brazen attack on the judiciary and a matter as sensitive as this should be handed over to the CBI,” Singh argued that the local police is complicit in such issues and called the murder an attack on judicial independence.
Judge Anand was taken to the hospital by a man who found him lying injured. He remained unidentified for many hours and passed away while at the hospital. The judge was handling cases related to mafia killings in Dhanbad town and had rejected the bail request of two gangsters recently.