In Brief
A murder case was registered in 2015 following the death of Ram Bihari Chaubey in Uttar Pradesh. The petitioner challenged the lackadaisical police investigation and sought CBI intervention, alleging that a politically influential person (respondent no.5) was involved but not properly investigated. The High Court disposed the petition accepting the police's assurance of expeditious completion. The Supreme Court found the investigation and closure report to be casual, perfunctory, and apparently designed to conceal rather than investigate. The Court held that despite police investigative autonomy, courts must intervene when investigation is sham or not bona fide. The Court set aside closure reports for non-charge-sheeted accused and appointed a senior IPS officer to conduct fresh investigation within two months.
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