EXPRESSING SATISFACTION with the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the murder of 19-year-old receptionist Ankita Bhandari, the Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday rejected a petition requesting the probe to be transferred to the CBI.
Uttarakhand Advocate General S N Babulkar, who represented the state government, said a petition was filed before the High Court with a prayer that the probe be taken from the SIT and given to the CBI.
“The court rejected the prayer, saying that the SIT investigation has been satisfactory and appreciable. The court also mentioned that the SIT is working independently and headed by a senior police officer who is from another state, and there is no reason to doubt the investigation. The court said that this is a sensitive matter and the SIT is moving in the right direction,” Babulkar told The Indian Express.
Earlier, a plea seeking a CBI probe was moved by journalist Ashutosh Negi, accusing the police and SIT of hiding crucial facts in the case. The petitioner alleged that the SIT did not make public Ankita’s autopsy report and demolished the room of the resort where she used to live. Ankita’s father Virendra Singh Bhandari and mother Soni Devi later joined as petitioners.
On Wednesday, a single-judge bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar Mishra decided on the plea. The SIT team, headed by DIG P Renuka Devi, has filed a charge sheet in the case.