Court rejects CID closure report

In a curious order, judicial magistrate first class Nilima Patil rejected Thursday the 'C' summary (closure) report filed by state CID (crime) in the Yogita Thakre murder case. She said the protest petition of Yogita's parents be treated as a private criminal complaint and the case as miscellaneous criminal case.

Yogita (7), daughter of maid Vimal Thakre, was found dead in a car parked outside the house of former BJP president Nitin Gadkari on May 19, 2009.

Police first declared it an accident but later registered a murder case following protests. Yogita's parents had alleged someone close to the Gadkari family was involved in the murder.

After police conducted a slip-shod investigation, the high court (HC) handed over the probe to state CID (crime). CID, however, filed a 'C' summary report two years ago saying there was no evidence to establish foul play.

Yogita's family challenged the report raising 22 objections to the manner in which the case was probed and closed.

A JMFC court then ordered a re-probe, but CID again submitted a closure report.

Patil observed CID didn't follow HC guidelines while re-probing the matter and only recorded statements.

"Giving the case back to police for re-investigation will be vain," she said.

Addressing a press conference with Yogita's elder sister Kiran, AITUC member and president of domestic workers union Jammu Anand, who has been fighting on behalf of the Thakres, said: "I welcome the rejection of the closure report, but the case being treated as a private complaint is a big jolt to the family and the people who have been seeking justice for the girl. CID needs to tell why it didn't probe the matter properly? Under whose political pressure it functioned? Are the state government and Gadkari in collusion?"

... contd.

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