CD case: SIT chief says review of investigation unnecessary

Bengaluru: Senior IPS officer Soumendu Mukherjee, who heads the Special Investigation Team that investigated the sex video case involving MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, has told the Karnataka High Court that there is no need to review the investigation conducted by the SIT.

Mukherjee made the statement during a hearing of a PIL that sought a CBI probe into the case.

The PIL was being heard by a division bench headed by Chief Justice AS Oak and Justice NS Sanjay Gowda on Thursday.

The High Court expressed displeasure at the probe being conducted in the absence of the SIT chief who was on leave for 3 months.

The bench questioned why Mukherjee had not entrusted his responsibility to anyone else, can an investigation take place in the absence of the chief investigation officer? and should the investigation report be considered proper if it was conducted in such a manner?

Additionally, the court had asked the SIT’s lawyer to ask Soumendu Mukherjee’s stand on whether he would review the investigation report conducted in his absence.

“I have spoken to Soumendu Mukherjee, who has made it clear that he still adheres to the statement he submitted to the court earlier that he need not review the investigation report,” SIT counsel P Prasanna Kumar told the bench.

The bench heard the arguments and adjourned the hearing asking the SIT not to file its final investigation report in the case till the hearing of the petitions is over.