Nirupama's boyfriend to move HC for CBI probe

Priyabhanshu Ranjan, the boyfriend of Delhi journalist Nirupama Pathak, who was found found dead in her home in Jharkhand, will move a writ petition in the Jharkhand high court on Tuesday seeking cancellation of the first information report against him and demanding a inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into her death.

Advocate Rajeev Kumar said he had filed a writ petition, on behalf of Priyabhanshu Ranjan, in the Jharkhand high court on Monday seeking cancellation of the FIR against him and a CBI probe in Nirupama Pathak's murder case.

However, the registry of the high court returned the petition due to some technical flaw and asked him to file the same on Tuesday, Kumar said.

"We have filed a writ petition in the high court seeking the cancellation of the FIR against the petitioner and stay on investigation by the state police as the same was faulty and self contradictory", he said adding "we have also sought a CBI probe in the death of Nirupama Pathak".

He said the petition has sought to restrain the police from taking any coercive action against Priyabhanshu.

He said that how can police investigate the matter on the basis of two "contradictory" FIRs.

A stay has been sought on the FIR filed by the police against Priyabhanshu on the charge of cheating, rape and abetment to suicide filed by police on the instructions of a Koderma court, Kumar said.

Earlier, the Koderma police had filed an FIR against Nirupama's mother Sudha Pathak, after which she was arrested and charged with her murder.

Kumar said "we have also prayed to the court to restrain the police from tempering with the evidence in the case".

A team of Koderma police had questioned Priyabhanshu and some common friends of him and Nirupama in New Delhi.