Allahabad HC Orders Probe Into Indian Woman’s Death In US

Ministry of Home Affairs

The Allahabad High Court recently directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to investigate the suspicious death of a woman living in Seattle, USA.

The order came from a bench comprising Justices Vivek Kumar Birla and Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal, following a plea from the woman’s mother.

In an order dated September 21, the court highlighted that the CBI and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) were avoiding their responsibilities. The judges noted, “The CBI as well as DoPT are unnecessarily raising a technical issue and shifting the burden on each other instead of taking any fruitful action.” They criticized the respondents for filing a brief counter affidavit while neglecting their duties to conduct a thorough investigation.

According to the mother, her daughter married on November 27, 2020, and subsequently moved to the US with her husband. The daughter died in what was reported as a blast at their home. Upon learning of her death, the mother filed an FIR with the Meerut police on September 28, 2023, alleging dowry death against her son-in-law. This FIR was then forwarded to the MHA.

On October 15, 2023, the Senior Superintendent of Police in Meerut recommended a CBI investigation, citing the suspicious circumstances of the woman’s death occurring outside India. Frustrated by the lack of progress in her daughter’s case, the mother approached the high court for intervention.