Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb Ahmed has been missing since October 14.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed police to conduct polygraph or lie-detector tests of nine JNU students who are allegedly connected with the case relating to missing student Najeeb Ahmed. A division bench of Justice GS Sistani and Justice Jayant Nath also asked Crime Branch of Delhi Police to also conduct searches at their residence of the former students.
"Conduct the lie detector test of nine persons as soon as possible," said the bench and posted the matter for January 23, 2017.
After the court was informed that two of the nine persons were former students and reside outside campus, the court has asked the police to keep a watch on their rooms and also search their rooms with the help of two squads of sniffer dogs.
The court was hearing a habeas corpus plea filed by Fatima Nafees, Ahmed's mother that her son should be produced by the police and the Delhi government before the court.
Najeeb Ahmed, 27, a first year MSc student, has been missing from his Jawaharlal Nehru University hostel on the night of October 14-15, allegedly after a row with members of RSS student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The ABVP has denied any involvement in his disappearance.
Police told the court that Najeeb Ahmed's roommate Qasim had agreed to undergo lie-detector test and he joined the process on Wednesday. However, he refused to participate on next two days i.e. December 22 and 23 for the test, saying he will consult his lawyer.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves appearing for Najeeb Ahmed's mother said that the lie detector test of nine suspected students should be conducted first as there were apprehension that they would not participate in test. He added that Qasim can participate in lie detector test after those nine persons.
Filing the status report, Delhi Police told the court that in the presence of Ahmed's mother and brother, 560 police officials along with the dog squad had conducted search operations at the JNU campus for two days.