High Court rejects plea for CBI Probe into Bengal BJP MLA's Death

The Calcutta High Court on Monday turned down a plea for a CBI investigation into the death of BJP MLA Debendra Nath Roy from Bengal's Hemtabad.

Chandima Roy, the wife of the MLA, had filed the petition before the court on Friday seeking a probe by the central agency into his death, alleging that he was murdered.

Rejecting the plea, Justice Shivakant Prasad directed the additional director general of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) -- which is investigating the case of MLA's death -- to monitor the probe.

The court also directed that a medical board review the autopsy report, whose findings were questioned by the petitioner, and submit a second opinion in two weeks. It said that the head of the forensic department of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital will preside over the board.

Opposing the prayer for a CBI probe, Advocate General Kishore Datta submitted that the state CID started investigation in the case within a day of the incident, and one person has been arrested already.

The Hemtabad MLA, who the West Bengal Police claimed died by suicide, was found hanging from a bamboo pole of a shop about a kilometre away from his home at Bindal village in North Dinajpur district on July 13.

Alleging that it was a case of planned murder, the petitioner's lawyer Brajesh Jha appealed for an investigation by a central agency, preferably the CBI.

The petitioner also claimed that the state police had arrived at the conclusion that Debendra Nath Roy died by suicide even before the autopsy report arrived.

Maintaining that an impartial probe was not possible by any agency of the state government, she had asked for an investigation by the CBI.

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