HC allows Laila's father to withdraw plea seeking CBI probe

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday allowed Nadir Shah Patel, father of slain Bollywood starlet Laila Khan, to withdraw his petition seeking CBI probe into her killing along with other members of the family.

The application filed by Patel seeking withdrawal of the petition came up before Justices AM Khanwilkar and AR Joshi who expressed surprise and asked why he wanted to leave it midway.

The judges wanted to know the reason for the sudden decision of Patel to withdraw his plea.

However, Patel's lawyer Ejaz Naqvi informed that the petitioner had not cited any reason for withdrawing his petition.

The bench then allowed him to withdraw the petition.

Patel's petition had sought transfer of the investigation of the murder of Laila, her mother and four siblings, currently being probed by Mumbai crime branch.

At the last hearing, the Judges had said court cannot transfer every probe to the central agency. "Just because she (Laila) is a celebrity, CBI cannot be asked to probe the matter," the HC said.

After Laila and her family members had gone missing in Ferbuary 2011, their decomposed bodies were recovered early this month from the family's bungalow in Igatpuri near Nashik.

Laila's step-father Parvez Tak is the main accused in the case and has been arrested.