The Bombay high court on Thursday intervened in the murder case of journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, directing the Maharashtra government and police to file a status report on the probe which has not yielded any breakthrough yet.
The court order comes five days after the sensational killing of the 56-year-old investigative journalist in suburban Powai. Three persons believed to be associated with gangster Chhota Shakeel were let off after they were detained for questioning in connection with the case.
Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R V More said in view of the importance of the case, they were also directing the state to ensure that Advocate General Ravi Kadam argues the matter himself.
The bench was hearing two petitions filed by lawyer V P Patil and former journalist Ketan Tirodkar seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into Dey's killing.
The court also allowed applications filed by two journalist organisations -- Press Club, Mumbai and Marathi Patrakar Parishad -- to intervene in the matter as they also pleaded for a CBI probe into the murder of Dey, who was shot dead by four unidentified assailants on June 11.
Public Prosecutor Pandurang Pol said investigations were going on and the city police and its crime branch were moving in the right direction. He said there was no need to transfer the probe to the CBI at this stage.
However, the judges said they would like to know the progress made by the city police and crime branch in the probe and asked the state to file a status report on June 21.
Police said the three suspects -- Anwar, Mateen Iqbal Hatela and Shaikh -- were let off late on Wednesday night after they were picked up earlier in the day. However, they will be called for questioning if required, a senior police official said.
