Cong sticks to demand for inquiry into Loya's death

Congress on Monday stuck to its demand for an investigation into the "suspicious" death of special CBI judge B H Loya a day after his son ruled out any foul play and urged NGOs and politicians not to harass his family.

"A matter of public interest and national interest is not dependent on whether you ask for it or oppose it," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters here when asked  about judge Loya's son's appeal.

Singhvi referred to the comments of judge Loya's uncle Shriniwas, who claimed that Anuj may have ruled out any foul play in his father's death under pressure. The Congress spokesperson said, on at least five occasions the Loya family members had raised doubts about his death under "suspicious circumstances".

"This whole argument of politicisation is false; we are, simply as a responsible stakeholder of Indian democracy, as a party, asking for inquiry and putting before you the absolute patent paradoxes and contradictions in the diverse statements," Singhvi said.

The 48-year-old judge was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case when BJP chief Amit Shah was one of the accused. Shah was discharged on December 30, 2014.