SC asks HC to re-examine demand for CBI inquiry

NEW DELHI, May 9: In a twist in the case pertaining to the mysterious death of police officer PJ Marbaniang in Ri-Bhoi district a day after he had seized 32 illegal coal-laden trucks, the Supreme Court on Monday sent back a petition filed by the mother of the victim to the High Court of Meghalaya for re-examination of the case.
The petition sought a CBI probe into the incident that occurred in 2015.
Earlier, the High Court had disposed of the petition (for the CBI probe) on the ground that the special investigation team (SIT) had already filed the chargesheet. However, unhappy with the SIT probe and dismissing the suicide theory of the police, the mother had filed a petition in the Supreme Court for a CBI probe.
On the night of January 25, 2015, a constable found Marbaniang, the then officer in-charge of Patharkhmah police outpost, lying in a pool of blood in his quarter. Police claimed that the officer had died after shooting himself in the head with his service pistol.
A day earlier, Marbaniang had detained 32 illegal coal-laden trucks and had resisted the release of the trucks despite being under pressure.
The seizure was significant since the NGT had banned illegal coal mining and transportation of coal in Meghalaya in April, 2014.
After the incident, the then Superintendent of Police of Ri-Bhoi had deputed the then officer in-charge of Nongpoh, S. Umdor to carry out investigation and subsequently another investigation was also carried out by the then Commandant of MLP 6th Battalion, J. Rymmai.
But the state government instituted an inquiry by a SIT headed by the then SP (City) Vivek Syiem. The inquiry came to the conclusion that it was a case of suicide and arrested several persons, including government officials, on charge of abetment to suicide.
Not satisfied, the victim’s mother had petitioned the High Court for a CBI probe and after the case was disposed of, the mother had approached the Supreme Court where the case came up for hearing on Monday.