The Congress alleged on Thursday that a BJP worker had moved a public interest litigation (PIL) to try and influence the course of investigation into Judge BH Loya’s death.
The Telegraph newspaper said that Congress leader Kapil Sibal played tapes of two phone conversations between Suraj Lolage, who had petitioned the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court for a probe into Loya’s death, and Pradeep Uke, brother of activist-lawyer Satish Uke whom Loya knew.
In the tapes, the voice attributed to Lolage says RSS number two Bhaiyyaji Joshi had asked him not to withdraw the petition even if he faced pressure to do so.
The Congress alleged that Lolage was a BJP and RSS member and had even applied for a BJP ticket from Nagpur for elections to the municipal corporation. The Congress also showed a photo of Lolage with Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.
RSS leader Upendra Kotekar denied the allegation, saying in a statement that nothing like what was being claimed on tape had happened, The Telegraph reported on Friday.
The Supreme Court had said last week that PILs are to ensure accountability and transparency within the governance, but it is being misused by persons with a personal agenda. The Court had further said that such petitions are also used to settle scores at the behest of business or political rivals.
“Either the RSS wanted an inquiry into Loya’s death, or it wanted an outcome that ensured the matter was closed without an inquiry. With the facts now being placed before you, it’s for the people of India to decide what the motive of the RSS was,” Sibal said at the press conference.
On November 27, 2017, Lolage filed the first PIL in the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay HC. All other petitions relating to the death of Judge Loya were filed in 2018, more than a month later.
The Supreme Court dismissed all petitions seeking a probe into Loya’s death last week. The apex court accepted the claim that he had died of “natural causes”. Among the petitions dismissed was Lolage’s plea, The Telegraph said, which the apex court had transferred to itself along with all other such petitions moved in high courts.