HC rejects plea for CBI probe into Ankita murder case

The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday rejected a petition seeking a CBI investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case.

The single judge bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar turned down the petition, saying an SIT is investigating the case already and it should not be doubted.

The high court also said no VIP is being shielded in the case as alleged in the petition.

Ashutosh Negi, a resident of Pauri Garhwal, had filed the petition claiming that the police and SIT were hiding important evidence in this case.

The SIT had not yet made public the post-mortem report of the victim, it said.

Ankita Bhandari, 19, worked as a receptionist at Vanantara resort near Rishikesh and was allegedly killed by its owner Pulkit Arya and his two accomplices after she refused to yield to their pressure to offer ''extra services'' to a VIP visiting the resort.

Her murder had triggered a massive public outrage.

The petition said Ankita's room was broken into the day her body was recovered and her post-mortem was done without the presence of any female doctor.PTI Corr ALM ALM RT RT