'Maha govt to open Loya case probe based on evidence'

The Maharashtra government would consider investigation into the alleged suspicious death of special CBI judge B H Loya in 2014 if it gets any complaint with substantial evidence, a minister said on Wednesday.

Loya, who was hearing the high-profile Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case of Gujarat, had died of cardiac arrest in Nagpur on December 1, 2014, when he had gone to attend the wedding of a colleague's daughter.

NCP spokesperson and state minister Nawab Malik spoke about the Loya death case which had reached the Supreme Court after a party meeting here.

Speaking to reporters here after the NCP held a three-hour-long meeting of its ministers in the Shiv Sena-led government, Malik said, The government will consider reopening of judge B H Loyas suspicious case if any complaint is received with substantial evidence."

The meeting was presided over by NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

If the complaint contains some substance, then only investigation will be done. There will be no inquiry in the matter without any reason, he said.

After the Sena-Congress-NCP government was formed in Maharashtra last year, Pawar was asked whether there will be any probe into the alleged suspicious death of Loya, Malik said.

Pawar had made it very clear that investigation into the case of judge Loya was possible. The state home minister (Anil Deshmukh) had also indicated so, he said.

The Supreme Court had held that Loya had died of "natural causes" on December 1, 2014, and had rejected PILs seeking an SIT probe into the death, questioning their motive.

The SC had held that petitions were moved by political rivals to settle scores which were a serious attempt to scandalise the judiciary and obstruct the course of justice through a "frontal attack" on its independence.