Auto driver deliberately hit Dhanbad judge, CBI to HC

The CBI, which is probing the death case of Dhanbad judge Uttam Anand, told the Jharkhand High Court on Thursday that the autorickshaw driver, who has been apprehended in this connection, intentionally hit him with his three-wheeler.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), during the hearing of the case on a virtual platform, said a probe is underway to find out who all are involved in the conspiracy.

The 49-year-old district judge was allegedly mowed down by a heavy autorickshaw while he was out jogging near Randhir Verma Chowk in Dhanbad on the morning of July 28.

CBI zonal joint director Sharad Agarwal submitted before the court that his death was not a case of accident.

Agarwal appeared before the division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and said that officers of the agency are working round the clock to uncover the truth behind the incident.

The bench observed that the case has shaken the morale of the judiciary.

Time is the essence of this investigation, it said.

The more time is spent, harder it will be to ascertain the truth, the bench stated.

Agarwal further said that the autorickshaw driver, Lakhan Verma, had earlier committed mobile thefts.

Verma has been changing his statements every now and then, but the agency is doing everything to reach to the depth of the matter, the CBI zonal joint director said.

The police had initially taken up the investigation into the death case, with the Dhanbad SSP and DGP assuring the court of a speedy inquiry.

The government later decided to recommend a CBI probe into the matter.

The CBI then took up the matter on August 4, with the high court monitoring the progress in its investigation.

The central agency had been submitting sealed reports to the court on the status of the probe into the case.