Suspects in missing JNU student case ignored police notice, Delhi Police tells High Court

New Delhi: Police on Monday claimed in the Delhi High Court that they could not carry out lie-detector tests on nine suspects in connection with the disappearance of JNU student Najeeb Ahmad, as none of them turned up despite notices served to them on several occasions.

Delhi Police contended before a bench of Justices G S Sistani and Vinod Goel that the "students should come forward and douse all the allegations being levelled so far against them in connection with the incident, otherwise it will raise doubt about their involvement".

"We (Delhi Police's Crime Branch) have issued them notice on different occasions, but they refused to accept it. We are even calling them on their mobile phone and have also sent WhatsApp messages, but they are not responding.

"Najeeb's roommate, Mohd Qasim is also not cooperating in the investigation, due to which a needle of suspicion also goes towards him," senior standing counsel Rahul Mehra, who was representing Delhi police, said.

He said that everybody should come forward and cooperate in the probe, so that the boy, who is missing for the last three-and-a-half months, is recovered.
"If lie-detector tests are done on them, we may get some clue or if not we may investigate in some other direction, so that the boy is recovered, before its too late," Mehra said.

He submitted that two out of the nine have even refused to give their house addresses when they were initially interrogated.

Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for one of the students, opposed the police contention, saying his client has been cooperating with the investigation and was ready to appear before the agency, but the probe should be done in a fair manner.

To which, the bench said that "practically if some person is given notice, he should come forward and then 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 from anyone," the bench said, adding that "we would hope that the State would make every effort to trace out the missing person".

27-year-old Najeeb has been missing since October 15 last year after a scuffle at his JNU hostel allegedly with ABVP student activists the previous night. The RSS student's wing has denied any involvement in his disappearance.

After the incident, Najeeb's mother moved the high court with a habeas corpus plea seeking direction to the authorities to trace and produce her son.