Shuhaib murder: Supreme Court refuses to interfere with Kerala HC verdict on CBI probe

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with a Kerala High Court verdict which had set aside an order transferring to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the probe into the murder of S.V. Shuhaib in Kannur in February 2018.

The case pertains to the hacking to death of the 27-year-old youth allegedly as fallout of clashes between the workers of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Congress.

A Bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan was hearing a petition filed by the parents of the victim. Shuhaib’s parents had initially approached the Kerala High Court seeking to transfer the investigation to the CBI saying that the attack on Shuhaib was the “fallout of a clash” between local CPI(M) and Congress workers. A single judge in March 2018 transferred the investigation from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to the CBI. Later, the State government approached a Division Bench challenging the order and the Division Bench set aside the verdict of the single judge in August 2019.

The parents of the victim then approached the apex court challenging the verdict.

When the plea came up, the apex court observed that the investigation was complete and chargesheet was filed. “Any interference at this stage would be detrimental to the case,” the Bench observed. “We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned order. In any case, if during the trial, the role of any other accused comes to light, the parties are at liberty to take such steps as are permissible in law,” it said.

Published - September 25, 2024 10:57 am IST