Rahul behind petitions in Loya death case, says a 'vindicated' BJP; updates

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a batch of pleas seeking an independent probe into the mysterious death of special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge B H Loya, who was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case involving Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Amit Shah. Loya had on December 1, 2014 died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur, where he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter.

Further, the apex court said that the submissions of the petitioners prima facie amounted to criminal contempt of court but that it was not initiating contempt proceedings.

The ruling BJP came down heavily on the Opposition after the Supreme Court dismissed the Loya death case petition. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the petitions were filed with a political agenda. Accusing the Congress of being the "invisible political power or a political platform" behind the petition, Patra said it was an attempt to settle political rivalry.