BENGALURU: The Karnataka high court on Sunday ordered the CID not to make or publish any interim report on its inquiry into the mysterious death of IAS officer D K Ravi.
Hearing a writ petition at his residence, Justice S Abdul Nazeer said in his interim order: “The respondents are restrained from making or publishing any interim report or making any public statement pertaining to the investigation being conducted with regard to the unnatural death of D K Ravi, IAS officer, pending disposal of this writ petition.”
The order came even as critics have accused the CID of indulging in selective leaks and trying to portray that the officer committed suicide due to personal reasons.
It also throws into uncertainty the plans of the government, which was expected to table the interim report on the CID probe on the floor of the legislature on Monday. The chief minister had said he would announce his decision on ordering a CBI probe in the legislature on Monday.
Ravi, who was additional commissioner (enforcement) of commercial taxes department, was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his bedroom in his southeast Bengaluru flat on March 16. The city police said prima facie it looked like a case of suicide.
However, the postmortem report turned out to be inconclusive, stating the death happened due to suffocation caused either by strangling or hanging.
The death sent passions soaring in parts of southern Karnataka. It was alleged that Ravi, who enjoyed the image of being an honest officer, may have been either murdered or pressured to end life. His raids on builders and realtors to recover tax dues were said to ruffled many a feather.
The opposition parties’ demanded a CBI probe and the demand found acceptance from large sections of the society. The Congress high command finally intervened late last week with Sonia Gandhi herself asking the chief minister, Siddaramaiah, to hand over the probe to the CBI.
Earlier in the morning, the writ petition was moved by Sudhir Reddy, resident of T Dasarahalli, north Bengaluru, before the chief justice of Karnataka high court, D H Waghela, at the latter’s residence. The chief justice posted the matter before the roster judge, S Abdul Nazeer.
Justice Nazeer heard the case at his residence later in the evening and issued notices to the state of Karnataka, the additional chief secretary (home), DG& IG of state police and the CID.
The petitioner urged the court to pass an interim order restraining the CID from publishing the interim report as there was no provision for the same under the Criminal Procedure Code.
Senior counsel Sajan Poovayya, appearing for the petitioner, contended that the interim report, if published, would seriously undermine his client’s privacy. The court issued the interim order pending admission of the writ petition, which will come up for hearing on Monday afternoon.
TOI | Mar 23, 2015
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