1. Supreme Court mandates CBI investigation into 2013 death of Manipuri woman in south Delhi.
2. Dismisses Delhi High Court’s ruling regarding the case.
3. Directs transfer of investigation to CBI for a thorough inquiry into the mysterious circumstances.
Imphal, March 27: The Supreme Court has ordered a CBI probe into the death of a 25-year-old Manipuri woman, A S Reingamphi, found dead under mysterious circumstances in her rented house in south Delhi in 2013.
The court dismissed the verdict of the Delhi High Court in this regard.
The deceased’s body was discovered on May 29, 2013, with the cause of death remaining uncertain even after the post-mortem report.
Initially, the case was registered under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the IPC, but later, an offense under Section 302 (murder) was added following representations by her cousins.
After the high court dismissed the plea for a CBI investigation, the deceased woman’s cousins challenged the order in the apex court, which constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in 2019 to monitor the case.
However, the SIT concluded that the woman had committed suicide, despite indications of a possible homicide.
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The Supreme Court, disagreeing with the SIT’s conclusion, stated that prima facie evidence suggests a homicidal death, not suicide. Consequently, it overturned the Delhi High Court’s decision and directed the CBI to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
The court emphasized the importance of effective and fair criminal investigations to maintain public trust in law enforcement institutions.
Given the unresolved nature of the case and the logistical challenges faced by the deceased’s family, the CBI’s intervention was deemed necessary to dispel doubts and bring the perpetrators to justice.
In light of these considerations, the Supreme Court instructed the CBI to take over the investigation from the SIT and submit its findings expeditiously to the concerned court.
