Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Mar 19: The Bombay High Court has dismissed a plea seeking a fresh probe into the 2019 custodial death of Sion resident Vijay Singh, ruling that there was no evidence of police assault and accepting the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conclusion that the death was due to a sudden heart attack.
A division bench comprising Justices Bharati H Dangre and Manjusha A Deshpande, in its March 13 judgment, relied on the findings of a six-member expert panel from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, which unanimously opined that the cause of death was “sudden cardiac arrest due to coronary insufficiency,” a natural cause.
The court noted that the injuries found on the body were “simple and non-fatal,” making it unlikely that they contributed to the death.
The CBI, which took over the investigation from a Mumbai Police SIT last year following court directions citing “loose strings” in the earlier probe, conducted an extensive inquiry. It recorded statements of around 60 witnesses, including 25 independent individuals present at the Wadala Police Station on the night of the incident.
According to the agency, none of the independent witnesses supported allegations of custodial violence, except one petitioner.
“In our considered opinion… all efforts have been taken to ascertain whether the deceased was subjected to physical assault… and the answer is in the negative,” the bench observed.
The petition was filed in 2020 by Vijay Singh’s father Hriday Narayan Singh and other family members, alleging custodial torture and seeking action against police personnel.
The court also rejected the petitioner’s argument that relevant documents were not shared with the AIIMS medical board. It noted that the CBI had forwarded all necessary materials, including post-mortem reports, histopathology findings, video evidence, inquest proceedings, and forensic opinions from KEM Hospital and Grant Medical College.
According to police, the incident occurred on October 27, 2019, when Vijay Singh and two friends were taken to the police station following a dispute with a couple. He was kept in the lockup briefly before complaining of chest pain and collapsing. He was later declared dead at a hospital.
With the HC endorsing the CBI’s findings, the case has effectively been closed, bringing an end to the prolonged legal battle over the cause of death.