Dhanbad Judge Death Case: Special CBI court convicts both accused persons after 1 year

Exactly a year after additional district judge Uttam Anand died after being run over by an autorickshaw in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on July 28 convicted both accused in the case.

One year after the suspicious death of Additional District Judge Uttam Anand in Dhanbad, a special CBI court convicted both the accused  persons in the case. The accused identified as Rahul Kumar Verma and Lakhan Kumar Verma have been booked under Sections 302 (Punishment for murder), 201 ( Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. The hearing on the quantum of sentences will be done on August 6th.

Dhanbad Judge's death case 

On July 28, 2021, Additional District Judge Uttam Anand was knocked down by an autorickshaw in the magistrate colony in Dhanbad. The incident caught on CCTV makes for highly suspicious viewing, in which the vehicle in question appears to swerve towards the judge on a visibly empty road. 

The autopsy report of Anand stated that he died of a head injury. He sustained three injuries in the form of abrasions and seven internal injuries. All these injuries are antemortem, caused by hard and blunt substances, it added. 

The Jharkhand Police, which was earlier probing the case, and for the same, had formed a Special Investigative Team (SIT) had seized the auto that was allegedly used for the crime. It has also arrested two main accused, identified as Lakhan Kumar Verma and Rahul Verma. The duo has confessed to the crime, said Amol Vinukant Homkar, Inspector General (Ops). 

Meanwhile, 17 others in the course of searches across 53 hotels in the state have been arrested while 243 old, listed criminals have been detained and interrogated on grounds of suspicion. Also, one sub-inspector, and one in charge of the Pathardih station who allegedly circulated the CCTV footage in which the auto is seen hitting the deceased Judge have been put under suspension, as per Dhanbad SSP Sanjeev Kumar. On  August 5, 2021, the case was transferred to CBI following the order of Jharkhand High Court's order of transfer of probe. 

Image: ANI/Representative