Cuttack: The Crime Branch probing the death of social activist Aditya Das, on Wednesday told the Orissa High Court that it has not found any evidence of murder till date.
The state investigating agency, in its affidavit, prayed the court to give it more time to submit the up-to-date status report of the investigation, which has been delayed as the investigating officer is afflicted with COVID-19.
The court directed the Crime Branch to submit the fresh status report at the earliest for its next hearing on November 26.
Notably, the court, while hearing the petition filed by Aditya’s wife Bidyashree and parents seeking CBI probe into the case on September 11, had asked the Crime Branch to submit a detailed report on the investigation within a month.
Although the Crime Branch later submitted the status report on November 4, the court expressed displeasure over the report and directed it to submit a fresh report by November 11.
Bidyashree and her parents-in-law had moved the High Court on August 28 seeking a CBI probe alleging that Crime Branch had failed to make any breakthrough in the case almost a month after taking up the investigation.
After Aditya was found dead under mysterious circumstances near the train tracks of Lingaraj Temple railway station in the city on July 7, the GRP had started an investigation.
Later, DGP Abhay had assigned the case to the Crime Branch. But the state investigating agency is yet to make any headway in it.
