“It Is Not For Me To Decide If Investigation Is Needed. I Have No Suspicions”: Late Justice Loya’s Son

Yesterday, a press conference was held by the late judge B H Loya’s son Anuj Loya, cousin Pratik Bhandari and family friend K B Katke, with advocate Ameer Naik to convey to the media that the family has “no suspicions” regarding the sudden demise of the justice.

Anuj said that the family no longer assumes its earlier suspicions that were a product of ‘emotional turmoil.’

Katke requested the media to convey to all NGOs, lawyers and politicians to “stop harassing” the family and added that the earlier suspicions were created by “some people” because of the judge’s sudden demise, however, everything is now clear. Whether Katke’s succeeding mention of BJP President Amit Shah was a slip or something that was meant to be communicated is hard to tell.

Katke’s statements were reiterated by advocate Naik and Loya’s son Anuj, who spoke the least in the hurriedly arranged press conference.

Anuj Loya’s letters

The Caravan reported that on November 29, 2017, the magazine received a mail from a person who identified as a friend of Anuj. In a conversation with the friend the next day, he informed The Caravan that Anuj showed him a copy of a letter dated February 2015, which Anuj had also left with judge Loya’s sister.

In the letter, Anuj wrote, “If anything happens to me or my family members, chief justice Mohit Shah and others involved in the conspiracy will be responsible.”

The Caravan had earlier reported that late justice Loya’s sister alleged that chief justice Mohit Shah had offered Loya a bribe of Rs 100 crore in return for a favourable judgement.

On November 29, the magazine received another email from a person identifying himself as Anuj Loya. In an attached letter, he said, “I, myself, my sister and my mother did not have any doubts about the fact that my father had passed away due to a heart attack and no other reason.” The Caravan replied to him to confirm his identity but, is yet to receive a reply.

If one compares the signatures of Anuj Loya in both the letters, as did The Caravan, the difference is easily visible. The signature on the letter sent via email was titled about 90 degrees and Anuj is right-handed.

A little over a week after The Caravan reported on Anuj’s 2015 hand-written letter, The Times of India published an article claiming that he wrote a letter to the Bombay high court chief justice Manjula Chellur on November 28, saying that the family has no complaints or suspicions about the circumstances of his father’s death.

Background

Late Justice Loya was the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge presiding over the trail of BJP top chief Amit Shah and several top officers in the Gujarat police for the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauser Bi in 2005.

[What was the Sohrabuddin alleged fake encounter case?]

Shah was arrested by the CBI in July 2010 in connection with the alleged staged shooting. Loya had taken over the trial of Amit Shah after Justice JT Utpat, the judge who first heard the trial, was transferred from the CBI special court in mid-2014, in violation of the Supreme Court order which said that the trial be heard by the same judge from start to finish. In 2014, Shah was discharged by the Mumbai special CBI court.

For a case that is surrounded by controversies, we hope that in the end, in BJP President Amit Shah’s own words, “the truth always prevails.”

Also read:

• CBI Judge Who Heard Amit Shah’s Trial On Sohrabuddin Fake Encounter Case “Died Suspiciously”, Claims Family
• Son Says No Foul Play In Justice Loya’s Death; What Has Happened So Far
• Probe On Justice Loya’s Death Very Important: 32 Civil Servants Write To Chief Justice Of India
• Supreme Court Terms Justice Loya’s Death “Serious Matter”, Asks Maharashtra Govt To Submit Autopsy Report
• 1st Time In History: 4 Supreme Court Judges Question The Way The Top Court Is Functioning