Bhubaneswar:As Orissa High Court retired judge Justice JP Das reached Jharsuguda to monitor the Crime Branch investigation into the murder of former Health minister Naba Kishore Das, opposition BJP alleged that there is no legal sanction behind his appointment. The state government had written a letter to the Registrar of the High court to name either a sitting judge or a retired judge to monitor the investigation as the opposition parties demanded a CBI or court-monitored SIT probe into the sensational murder case.
The high court had suggested the name of J P Das to supervise the probe. However, the BJP which has been demanding a CBI probe into the minister's murder, alleged that there is no such provision under the CrPC for external intervention into the investigation process, by a retired high court judge. "I am afraid if CrPC grants power to a retired judge to monitor a criminal investigation? It is a clear breach of the statute due to executive remissness. Things are not being done in the manner it is required to be done under the law," senior BJP leader and High Court lawyer Pitambar Acharya told reporters here on Tuesday.
On the BJP leader's allegations, ruling BJD MLA and government chief whip, Prashant Muduli said, "The opposition has a habit of making such allegations. The society and democracy will not survive if they don't have faith on the judiciary." Acharya, who unsuccessfully contested against Naveen Patnaik in Hinjili assembly segment in 2019, also asked the state government to show a copy of the judicial order on the appointment of a retired judge to supervise the ongoing investigation by the crime branch. The senior BJP leader also alleged that the government engaged a retired high court judge to monitor the case as it has no trust in its own agency.