Mumbai, Jul 18 (IANS): The Bombay High Court Monday dismissed three public interest petitions demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into senior journalist Jyotirmoy Dey's killing, an official said.
The three petitions, filed by lawyer V.P. Patil and journalists Ketan Tirodkar and S. Balakrishnan, came up for further hearing before a division bench comprising Justices Ranjana Desai and R.V. More.
"We were expecting this. We shall challenge this in the Supreme Court now," Gurbir Singh, president of the Mumbai Press Club, which was an intervener in the case, told IANS.
He said the ruling would be challenged in the Supreme Court.
The petitioners had contended that the Mumbai police, currently probing the case, were not above suspicion in Dey's death and therefore the investigations should be handed over to CBI.
Police had last month claimed to have solved the case by nabbing eight people from different parts of the country. According to police, Dey was killed at the behest of absconding mafia don Rajendra Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan.
Dey, 56, a veteran crime journalist, was editor (special investigation) of Mumbai tabloid Mid Day.
He was gunned down June 11 by four men near his residence at Powai, northeast Mumbai.