The CBI had earlier said that Judge Uttam Anand had been intentionally run over.

New Delhi:

The driver and helper of the auto-rickshaw that ran over and killed a judge in Jharkhand in July have been charged with murder in a chargesheet filed by the CBI in a case that had been flagged by the Supreme Court earlier this year.

Driver Lakhan Verma and his assistant Rahul Verma had been arrested a day after the three-wheeler ran over judge Uttam Anand, 49, in Dhanbad on July 28 with CCTV footage of the incident suggesting it was more than just a hit-and-run.

The two men have also been charged with a law against the disappearance of evidence and giving false information.

Last month, the CBI had told the Jharkhand High Court that the judge had been hit intentionally hit with agency sources adding that the reconstructions of the crime scene, examination of CCTV footage, including a 3D analysis, and forensic evidence all suggest Judge Uttam Anand was deliberately killed.

The CBI had also said that the probe into the case was in its final stage after the court expressed annoyance at the slow pace of inquiries and ordered the Home Secretary and Director of the state’s forensic lab to respond.

However, investigations into the conspiracy behind the killing – if any – are ongoing, CBI sources had said.

Judge Anand had been handling many cases of mafia killings in Dhanbad and had rejected bail requests from two gangsters. He was also hearing a murder case involving an MLA’s close aide.

The Supreme Court took up the case on its own on July 30, saying it had “wider ramifications”. The case was then handed to the CBI, which took over August 4.

The central agency conducted various scientific tests in the course of the investigation and announced a Rs 10 lakh for anyone sharing “information of importance” on the death of the judge.