New Delhi, April 18: The Supreme Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict tomorrow on the petitions seeking independent inquiry into the death of Justice Brijmohan Harikrishnan Loya. The judge, who died of a sudden cardiac arrest in 2014, was presiding over a bench which was hearing the politically crucial Sohrabuddin encounter case.

Justice Loya had passed away in the wee hours of December 1, 2014 in Nagpur, as per the official records maintained by the Maharashtra government. The 47-year-old had suffered a heart attack early in the morning at around 4 am. He succumbed to death while he was being rushed to the local medical facility.

The petitioners, however, claimed the death was reported under mysterious circumstances. The matter was raked up following a Caravan report last year which quoted Justice Loya's sister saying she had apprehensions over the reason of death cited by the government.

The case took a political turn with a section of Opposition lawmakers led by Congress president Rahul Gandhi met President Ram Nath Kovind seeking an independent probe into the judge's death.

The Maharashtra government, however, refuted the questions raised by the petitioners, charging them of being "politically motivated".

Amid the political slugfest, the late judge's son Anuj Loya addressed the press expressing satisfaction with the state government's closure report on his father's demise. "Our family has no suspicion in the case. We urge the media to kindly avoid dragging us into the controversy," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2018 09:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).