After nine Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students who had been served notices to join the probe into the disappearance of Najeeb Ahmad, failed to show up for the lie detector test, the Delhi High Court told them to not feel insecure and come forward to take the test.
According to the Indian Express, a division Bench of Justice G S Sistani and Justice Vinod Goel said, "If some person is given notice, he should come forward and he can deny or accept that allegation. No one should feel insecure. One should be bold enough to appear and go through the tests if there is nothing to hide."
This was after Advocate Rahul Mehra, appearing for the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police, told the division bench, "Since the students did not come forward for interrogation it raises doubts in the mind about their involvement."
During the hearing, according to an IANS report, one of the nine students approached the court and alleged biased investigation against them and sought a fair probe into the case.
The Indian Express reported that lawyer Sidharth Luthra, appearing for JNU student Sunil Singh, told the court that the students could not be forced to take lie detector tests without consent.
However, Advocate Mehra told the court that the Crime Branch had been probing the matter responsibly. "Had we been biased we would have put them behind the bars," he said.
"We are a responsible force, don't force us to do something we don't want to do," Mehra added. "They should join the investigation. They should come forward if they have nothing to hide and come out clean. For more than three and a half months we are handling it responsibly. If you (nine students) are so honest then come and join investigation. Many notices have been issued to them."
Najeeb Ahmad, 27, a first year M.Sc. student, went missing from his hostel on JNU campus on the night of 14-15 October last year, allegedly after a row with fellow students who were members of the RSS student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
The next hearing on this matter is on 13 February.
(With inputs from IANS)