CBI to soon decide on filing case in Ravi death probe

Panel of doctors from AIIMS feels the IAS officer committed suicide

The CBI is likely to take a final call on registering a regular case into the probe over the suspicious death of IAS officer D K Ravi even as panel of doctors from AIIMS here felt that he committed suicide.

The CBI officials also believe that there is no foul play in the case which triggered allegations that he was a victim of the land mafia in Karnataka.

After studying the post mortem report and other details, sources said that a panel of doctors at AIIMS here, whom the CBI had approached for comments, felt that Ravi had committed suicide.

The Forensic Sciences Laboratories in Bengaluru and Hyderabad had also given the same opinion. The CBI is likely to finalise the Preliminary Enquiry report next month as it is awaiting a report from the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory, New Delhi. Ravi’s death had triggered a political storm in the State with the IAS officer’s wife and family demanding a CBI probe. 

However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was not inclined but later gave in after Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s prodding following a letter from Ravi’s mother. The case saw several twists and turns with the CID investigating whether his friendship with a woman IAS officer had any link to his death. Her husband had approached the court against the insinuations.

The CBI had initially refused to take over the case as it opposed the Karnataka government’s condition for a time-bound probe, forcing the State to amend its request and send it again. The State government initially wanted the CBI to conclude the probe in three months. The CBI said they cannot accept the condition as there is no provision in law to complete investigations in a time-bound manner.