Rizwanur Rahman

The CBI on Monday urged the high court (HC) to allow it to prosecute the seven people accused of abetting Rizwanur Rahman’s suicide.

The seven are Priyanka Todi’s father Ashok, two of their relatives, three police officers, including former deputy commissioner (detective department) Ajoy Kumar, and Pappu, a family friend of the Rahmans.

At the final hearing of the Rizwanur case, CBI counsel Ranjan Roy told the court on Monday: “The agency is satisfied with its investigation. But it is ready to probe any aspect that the court feels need to be investigated. The case should now be sent to an appropriate trial court for the prosecution of the accused.”

Basu added: “The CBI initially treated the death as murder. But after the agency found that it was a case of suicide, the report was prepared accordingly. What is wrong in it?”

The lawyer also claimed that the CBI had the right to initiate any investigation in any state without taking permission from the government concerned.

State advocate-general Balai Ray had said the CBI had made a mistake by starting a murder probe into Rizwanur’s death without taking permission from the government.

The CBI lawyer concluded his arguments on Monday.

Justice Dipankar Dutta directed the CBI to file an affidavit by Thursday stating why it had registered the murder case in New Delhi instead of Calcutta and whom it had informed in Calcutta about the case registration.