Court Accepts CBI Closure Report in Najeeb Case: 'Probed All Leads'

Nearly nine years after Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed vanished from his hostel, a Delhi court on Monday brought the official investigation to a close.

- Arnabjit Sur

NEW DELHI: The court accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) 2018 closure report, observing that CBI had pursued "all plausible leads" and noting the possibility that Najeeb may have voluntarily left the campus.

While disposing of the protest petition filed by Najeeb's mother, Fatima Nafees, additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) Jyoti Maheshwari noted: "This court is of the considered opinion that CBI has investigated all plausible avenues available in the case."

The decision, which comes nearly a decade after Najeeb's disappearance in October 2016, for now marks the end of a case that had gripped national attention, sparked protests across campuses, and prompted a protracted legal battle by Fatima.

Fatima, who had long contested CBI's findings, had alleged lapses in the investigation and sought further inquiry. However, her protest petition, pending since August 2020, was rejected by the ACJM.

In its ruling, the court emphasized that there was no incriminating evidence against any individual suggesting that Najeeb was forcibly disappeared. Instead, it pointed to the possibility of a voluntary departure. It further stated that CBI had examined every conceivable aspect of the case, but was unable to trace Najeeb.

"CBI has undertaken a holistic investigation and exhausted all options. Further, the grounds raised by the protest petitioner, in alleging lapses in the investigation by CBI, have been examined at length and stand rejected," the order underlined.