New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear a plea seeking an independent probe into the death of CBI Judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya tomorrow. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud today took note of the submission seeking urgent hearing on the plea for a probe into the circumstances surrounding Loya’s death.

Loya, who was presiding over the CBI court in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, passed away on December 1, 2014.

The plea was filed by Maharashtra-based journalist B.R. Lone. He submitted that a fair probe was needed into the death.

A total of 23 accused, including police personnel, are facing trial for their involvement in the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kausar Bi and their associate Tulsidas Prajapati in Gujarat in November 2005. The case was later transferred to CBI and the trial was shifted to Mumbai.

A PIL seeking a probe into Loya’s death was also filed before the Bombay high court on January 8 by the Bombay Lawyers’ Association.

The pleas seeking a probe have followed two reports the Caravan magazine published that quoted immediate members of Loya’s family, who questioned the circumstances surrounding his death. Loya passed away, ostensibly of a heart attack, while in Nagpur to attend a colleague’s daughter’s wedding.

(With PTI inputs)