Aristotle, the famous philosopher in ancient Greece, once said more than two millennia ago that man is a social animal. If we regard Aristotle’s terming of “social animal” as the genus then one of its species in modern time, found in sufficient numbers in India can said to be that of political scavenger. In the past few years, the numbers of this species seem to have increased dramatically. Political scavengers in India nowadays are those persons who are active in furthering their politically vested interests through any means, including exploiting death or deaths of people, to achieve their ends. If one observes the pattern beginning with the sentencing of Yakub Memon and a dramatic post-midnight hearing by the Supreme Court to hear his mercy plea in 2015 to the unfortunate killing of Akhlaq in Dadri the same year to the suicide by University of Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula to, now the death of CBI Justice Loya.
Although CBI Justice Loya had died in Nagpur on 1st December, 2017, the political scavengers in India had then somehow overlooked the possibility of creating doubts about the death of the late CBI Judge, milk it and derive benefit out of it. They seemed to have woken up rather late to the opportunities provided to them by the death of the CBI Judge. It was only in December 2017, interestingly just before the crucial Gujarat election, where the prestige of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah was at stake that the political scavengers began feeding on the issue of the unfortunate demise of CBI Justice Loya.
When the political scavengers of India could compel the country’s Supreme Court to hear the mercy plea of someone who was involved in the 1993 Bombay blasts case and whose mercy plea had been rejected by the President of India, late night at 3 am then it could not be so difficult for them to not only create doubts about the death of CBI Judge Loya but also hunt in a pack to achieve the end of making the death of CBI Justice Loya appear just suspicious but strongly hinting at it as a case of murder and not that of natural death. During the press conference by the four seniormost Judges of the Supreme Court when Justice Ranjan Gogoi was asked whether Justice Loya’s case was also one of their complaints, he had answered in the affirmative.
Till recently the matter of Justice Loya’s death was listed before a bench of Justice Arun Mishra and Justice M Shantanagoudar. Advcate Dushyant Dave and Indira Jaising had argued before the bench that the Supreme Court must not hear the case as a similar case filed by Bombay Lawyers Association was already pending before the Bombay High Court. Dave had informed the Court that he was representing the Bombay Lawyers Association, headed by one Ahmed Abdi, before the Bombay High Court. Justice Arun Mishra who had almost broken down at the customary morning tea on Monday morning in the Judges lounge at the Supreme Court after questions were raised over his integrity and competence has in the latest order after the hearing of Justice Loya’s case asked the matter to “put up before the appropriate bench”.
In another setback to the shenanigans of the pack of political scavengers on this issue, the Maharashtra Police have said that there was nothing suspicious about the death of Justice Loya. Shivaji bodkhe, Joint Commissioner of Nagpur Police told reporters that post-mortem and forensic reports confirm that Justice Loya’s death was due to “heart attack”.
Another report by the news agency Press Trust of India quoted a senior police officer as saying that Justice Loya had died because of coronary artery insufficiency The Police officer also added that the investigation into the death of Justice Loya was carried done after the case of death was registered under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code and was closed after the post-mortem report was received from the Department of Forensic Medicine of Government Medical College and Hospital.
Earlier, Anuj Loya, the son of CBI Special Justice Loya had categorically stated that the family had no suspicions regarding the death, but they were being harassed and victimized and urged the media to stop harassing the family on this issue. In fact, two Judges of the Bombay High Court Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice Sunil Shukre who were present at the hospital when CBI Special Justice Loya was declared dead have already dismissed speculations and suspicions about his death. With this important information flying in the faces of the political scavengers found in India will they refrain from their habits in the future? Considering that the very important 2019 Lok Sabha election is only 15-16 months away it is very likely that the political scavengers in their desperation will feed on any issue, even bring the dead to fed on them politically to discredit the Central Government.
