Srinagar:
The Supreme Court has issued notice to Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government on the alleged custodial death of National Conference worker Syed Mohammad Yousuf.
The court issued the notice on plea seeking CBI probe into Yusuf's death and has asked a reply to be filed within two weeks.
The petition filed by Udampur MLA and state President of Panthers party says that the death of Yousuf is due to conspiracy allegedly hatched by Omar Abdullah with state police to destroy the evidence which could have put the Chief Minister and his father Farooq Abdullah in a dangerous trap.
The plea further adds that only the CBI can do impartial and independent probe into the entire chain of events leading to the secret meeting called by the Chief Minister at his residence on September 29.
Mr Abdullah had handed over Yousuf to the Crime Branch after the latter had allegedly admitted to taking money from the other two party workers.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) also says that since Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has declined to spare a sitting Judge for judicial probe, only CBI should probe this incident.
The death of Yousuf had sparked a major political row as another National Conference worker Abdul Salam Reshi had alleged the deceased had taken Rs. 34 lakh from him and Rs. 84 lakh from another party worker Mohammad Yousuf Bhat for getting them berths in the state legislative council.