Nagpur:
A Nagpur court has rejected a second attempt by Maharashtra's Crime Investigation Department or CID to close the Yogita Thakre case. Seven-year-old Yogita Thakre was found dead with bruises all over her body in a car allegedly owned by former BJP president Nitin Gadkari and parked near his home in 2009.
The court, which had rejected the CID's first closure report in 2011 ordering further investigation, dismissed its second closure report today. Both reports said the child's death was an accident. The second report filed by the CID was based on the facts that not enough evidence of a murder could be found, eyewitnesses have said nothing suspicious took place and also, a doctor's report had claimed that the marks on the girl's body could have been claimed by a hard surface like the boot of the car.
With both reports rejected, the court will now monitor investigation in the case.
Yogita's mother, who worked as a domestic help in the area, said in court that she had asked Mr Gadkari's security guards to look after her daughter while she was at work. Mr Gadkari's employees claimed that the girl accidentally locked herself in the boot of the car and died of suffocation. The girl's mother, however, claimed she was murdered.
The police first registered a case of murder and destruction of evidence against unidentified persons. Yogita's post-mortem report said that she was smothered to death.
The case was assigned to the CID in May 2010, a year after Yogita died by the Bombay High Court which severely criticised the Nagpur Police for its flip-flops in the case. After investigations, the CID concluded that Yogita's death was an accident.
Speaking to NDTV, Mr Gadkari had said that he was ready to face an inquiry.