HC rejects NIA petition, says state agency can investigate Jhiram case

Bilaspur:In a major development, the High Court of Chhattisgarh has rejected a petition filed by the National Investigative Agency (NIA) in protest against investigation into JhiramGhati massacre by the state agency.

It may be recalled that On May 25, 2013, 29 people, including the then state Congress President Nand Kumar Patel, his son, former Union Minister VidyacharanShukla, Bastar ‘Tiger’ and senior leader Congress Mahendra Karma and security forces were killed in Naxalattack the attack on the convoy of Congress ‘ParivartanYatra’ at Jhiram Ghati of Darbha. More than 20 Congress leaders were killed in this massacre.

Following the incident, the NIA investigated it and presented challan. But Jitendra Mudaliar, son of Congress leader Uday Mudaliar, dissatisfied with the NIA’s challan, and lodged the FIR again with Darbha police station in 2020. 

Against this FIR, the NIA had first filed a petition with the Special Judge and demanded to hand over the case diary to the NIA, which was rejected by the Special Judge. The NIA then moved the High Court and filed a petition which was heard in the Division Bench of Justice RCS Samant and Justice Arvind Singh Chandel on Wednesday. 

The High Court said that the state agencies are free to investigate and rejected the petition of NIA.