IAS officer's death: K'taka govt removes deadline after CBI refuses probe

Relenting to the Central Bureau of Investigation's insistence, the Karnataka government on Monday removed the three-month deadline set for the probe by the central agency into the "unnatural" death of an upright Indian Administrative Service officer which had sparked public outrage.

Within hours of  the CBI's refusal to accept the state's request for a time-bound probe into the alleged suicide of D K Ravi, Karnataka home department issued a fresh order, stating that the agency probe the matter and "take necessary action at the earliest," doing away with the three-month timeframe.

Rejecting the Karnataka government's request, the CBI had said there is no provision in law to complete investigations in a given period and sent a communication to the state seeking a fresh notification to take over the probe in Ravi's death.

According to CBI sources, once a fresh notification is received, the agency would examine whether to take over the probe or not, while noting that the three-month timeline was not according to the law.

The Karnataka home department's fresh order also noted that the CBI in its letter has informed that the government may re-notify the case without any conditionality. "The CBI shall investigate the matter and take necessary action at the earliest," the fresh order said, adding that the department concerned and officials should hand over the data, information or records as and when required by the central agency and cooperate with it in the probe.

In New Delhi, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in response to CBI's refusal, "They have sent it back, saying that do not put the condition like that. Again we will send it to the CBI."

Thirty-five-year-old Ravi, who had taken on the sand and land mafia and ordered crackdown on tax evaders, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his apartment here on March 16, with police saying it was prima facie a case of suicide. The case was initially handed over to Criminal Investigation Department.

Ravi's family refused to accept the suicide theory and staged a protest, insisting on a CBI probe, with the opposition parties also raising the pitch for it, as public anger spilled onto the streets with protests across the state.

After growing clamour and a nudge from Congress President Sonia Gandhi, an initially reluctant chief minister announced in the assembly government's decision to hold a CBI probe, saying it was being done "respecting the feelings of Ravi's parents and public."