In Brief
Judge Brijgopal Harikishan Loya, who was presiding over the Sohrabuddin encounter trial involving BJP leader Amit Shah, died on 1 December 2014 in Nagpur. Following media articles questioning the circumstances of his death, multiple public interest petitions sought an inquiry. The Supreme Court held that the evidence—including statements from four judicial officers present with Loya, post-mortem findings, forensic analysis, and inquest records—conclusively established that he died of natural causes (coronary artery insufficiency). The Court rejected allegations as hearsay and found the petitions were a misuse of public interest litigation designed to malign judicial officers and undermine judicial independence, rather than genuine citizen advocacy."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.