Delhi HC directs CBI to trace missing JNU student

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Wednesday directed the CBI to take necessary steps to trace JNU student Najeeb Ahmad, who has been missing since October last year.

The high court gave its direction after examining the status report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The agency, in its report, gave details of the steps taken by it to trace the student and sought time to conclude the probe.

“We direct the CBI to take all necessary steps to trace the student who is missing since October 15, 2016,” a bench of justices G.S Sistani and Chander Shekhar said.

The court asked the CBI its reason for placing the status report in a sealed cover. The CBI counsel responded by saying that they do not want the names of witnesses to be revealed.

He informed the bench that they had examined 26 persons, including JNU officials, staff, Najeeb's friends, colleagues and those who had any issue with him, during the investigation.

The court was hearing a plea from Najeeb’s mother, Fatima Nafees, who moved the court on November 25 last to trace her son, a first-year MSc (Biotechnology) student who went missing from the Mahi Mandavi hostel in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

The counsel, appearing for the student’s mother, also gave suggestions to the CBI to be included in its investigation.

The high court had on August 8 pulled up the CBI saying the case was “not transferred to the agency for fun”. 

It had filed the same report regarding its probe that was placed on record in the previous hearing. On May 16, the court ordered the investigating agency to take over the investigation into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the JNU student.