3-judge bench led by CJI to hear PILs for probe into Loya's death

New Delhi: The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra will hear on Monday two petitions seeking independent probe into the death of Special CBI Court judge B.M. Loya who was holding trial in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh staged shoot out case.

The supplementary cause list issued on Saturday lists the petitions by social activist Tehseen Poonawala and Maharashtra-based journalist Bandhuraj Sambhaji Lone before the bench of Chief Justice Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.

Earlier, the two petitions were being heard by the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra.

The allocation of Judge Loya's matter to a relatively junior bench was one of the bones of contention raised by four rebel judges in their unprecedented press conference on January 12.

The bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra on January 17 recused itself from hearing the matter after the bench directed that all the documents furnished by the Maharashtra government to the court relating to the death of Judge Loya be shared with the petitioners seeking independent probe.

The case came into limelight as BJP president Amit Shah was allegedly one of the accused in the case. Shah was later discharged by the Special CBI court trying the Sohrabuddin Sheikh case.