A video of a Dhanbad judge, Uttam Anand, being hit by a vehicle in a suspicious manner has gone viral on social media. The judge, who was on a morning walk when a speeding vehicle hit him, later succumbed to his injuries.
The alleged killing of Anand, who was a District and Sessions Judge-8 of Dhanbad court, was raised in the Supreme Court by Supreme Court Bar Association President Vikas Singh, who termed the development a ‘brazen attack’ on the independence of the judiciary.
Raising the matter, Singh said that the judge’s alleged killing must be investigated by the CBI, adding that the judicial officer in Dhanbad was killed for not granting bail to a gangster.
The Supreme Court Bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Surya Kant, however, said that the matter was before the Jharkhand High Court, which had taken up the matter related to the alleged killing of the judge.
“We are aware of the incident and we appreciate the efforts of SCBA. I have spoken to the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. He has taken up the case and has asked the officers to be present there. The matter is going on there. Leave it there,” the CJI, according to news agency PTI, told Singh.
Additional District & Sessions Judge, Dhanbad Uttam Anand gets run over during his morning walk under suspicious circumstances. The judge was dealing with a few high-profile murder cases from the area and had recently rejected bail petitions of a few criminals. TRIGGER WARNING pic.twitter.com/FFia9usXQc
— Nalini (@nalinisharma_) July 28, 2021
An autorickshaw driver had spotted Judge Anand, who was lying in a pool of blood. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where succumbed to his injuries.
“FIR registered u/s 302 IPC (murder). SIT, headed by City SP Dhanbad, formed. CID & FSL team deputed to help them in investigation. Probe on, under supervision of Sr SP Dhanbad & DIG Bokaro,” Amol Vinukant Homkar, IG(Ops) was quoted by news agency ANI.