SC orders framing charges against Lux industries chief

The Supreme Court on Thursday gave the go-ahead to a CBI special court to frame charges against the Kolkata-based chairman of Lux Industries Ltd, Ashok Kumar Todi, his brother and others for forcing a computer graphics engineer to commit suicide after the deceased, belonging to another religion, married his daughter in 2007.

The deceased, Rizwanur Rahman, had married Todi's daughter Priyanka on August 18, 2007, after falling in love. His body was recovered by a Railway track on September 21, 2007. The family members of the industrialist and promoter of the big innerwear company were allegedly opposed to the marriage.

The case had led to a huge political and social furore. The investigation was transferred to the CBI by the Calcutta HC on a plea by the victim's mother, and some police officers were roped in as accused.

On Thursday, a bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said that it is not a matter where the petitioners - Todi, his brother Pradeep, brother-in-law Anil Saraogi and another accused S M Mohiuddin - could be discharged.

The petitioners have challenged the Calcutta HC's order of June 12, 2017, rejecting their plea against the trial court's decision to frame charges of abetment to suicide, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation and other offences against them.

After hearing petitioners' counsel, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, Shyam Divan, Jayant Bhushan and Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand for CBI, the bench said, “We are not inclined to interfere with the order for framing of charges.”

However, the court said it hardly needs to be emphasised that observations of the High Court or the trial court were in the context of framing of charges. The trial court shall take the final decision in the matter on the basis of the evidence which was produced without being influenced by the observations made by this court, it added.