BH Loya case: Son Anuj says family has no doubts about how judge died; asks NGOs, politicians to stop harassing family

“Our family is pained by the chain of events in past few days. Please don’t harass us,” Judge BH Loya’s son, Anuj Loya said to the media during a press conference on Sunday [caption id=“attachment_4302609” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Justice BH Loya’s son, Anuj Loya . YouTube screengrab[/caption] The press conference was held in Mumbai two days after top Supreme Court judges took on Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra alleging ‘selective’ allocation of cases to benches. Warning that democracy is at stake, four senior judges of the Supreme Court had on Friday mounted a virtual revolt against the country’s chief justice, raising questions on “selective” case allocation and certain judicial orders, sending shockwaves across the judiciary and polity. The judges had mentioned the allocation of a petition on judge Loya’s death as an issue they had raised. “There is no controversy, no need of politicising the issue. This is a tragic event. We do not want to be victims of politicisation of the issue. Let it remain the way it is, non-controversial,” lawyer Ameet Naik said at the conference on Sunday. “This is a matter of great grief for the family…Anuj is very disturbed about the issue. Anuj has held this press conference to clear the air about this,” he added, reiterating his plea to the media to avoid politicising the death of BH Loya. Anuj’s cousin and a family friend were also present during the press conference. Anuj said he did not have any doubts about the way his father died three years ago. “I had an emotional turmoil, hence I had suspicions about his death. But now we don’t have any doubts about the way he died,” he said to reporters. “Earlier my grandfather and aunt had some doubts about his death, which they shared. But now neither of them has any doubts,” he added.

Justice BH Loya’s son, Anuj Loya, held a press conference in Mumbai today and said, “Our family is pained with the chain of events in past few days. Please don’t harass us.” #JusticeLoya pic.twitter.com/G86lhTA7gj

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When Anuj was asked if he wanted an investigation into his father’s death, the 21-year-old said, “I am no one to decide if there should be an investigation. I don’t think there was anything suspicious about this.” Anuj, who is a second-year student of law in a Pune-based college, also urged NGOs and politicians to stop “harassing” his family. “We faced some pressure from politicians and NGOs. We don’t want to name anyone, but please excuse my family from continuously asking about my father’s death,” he said at the press conference. Special CBI judge Loya , who was presiding over the Soharabuddin “fake encounter” case at the time, died in Nagpur on 30 November 2014, where he was visiting to attend a colleague’s daughter’s wedding. He was said to have suffered a heart attack. Regarding the Supreme Court’s probe into Loya’s death, the apex court said the “mysterious death” of BH Loya was a “serious matter” and sought a response from the Maharashtra government on pleas seeking an independent probe into it. A bench of justices Arun Mishra and MM Shantanagoudar asked Maharashtra government counsel Nishant R Katneshwarkar to file a reply by 15 January. With inputs from agencies