The Delhi High Court recently ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a status report indicating whether it was in favour or opposed to a plea to re-investigate the assassination of former Railway Minister Lalit Narayan Mishra in a 1975 bomb blast incident [Santoshanand Avadhut @ Ghanshyam Prasad & Anr v. Central Bureau of Investigation].
Two convicts in the case have filed an appeal before the High Court against their conviction. Mishra’s family has also sought a re-investigation on the ground that the real culprits were given a clean chit.
During a February 24 hearing of the matter, the CBI's counsel informed that he had received oral instructions that the agency would support the 2014 trial court judgment convicting five persons (three of whom have passed away), including the appellants before the Court.
The Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Madhu Jain told the CBI to file a status report to put its stance on record.
"Let a status report be filed by the CBI taking a stand on this aspect. The said report shall be filed by an officer of not less than the rank of the Joint Director. The status report shall be filed by the CBI at least two days before the next date of hearing," the Court ordered.
The matter will be heard next on March 25.
The case pertains to a 1975 bomb blast at the Samastipur Railway Station in Bihar, in which the then Railway Minister, LN Mishra, passed away. Three people lost their lives and eighteen people were injured in the aftermath of the blast.
The investigation into the case was transferred from the Bihar CID to the CBI within 2-3 days. Followers of a particular sect called 'Anand Margis' were made accused persons. The two convicts before the High Court belong to this sect.
During the probe, the 1975 National Emergency was promulgated for eighteen months.
After the Emergency was lifted, the then Chief Minister of Bihar had directed a secret inquiry into the incident and sought for a report, which was submitted in 1978.
The deceased minister's family has cited the 1978 report to state that the main conspirators and planners behind the bomb blast have been wrongly given a clean chit.
In 1979, the case was transferred to Delhi. Forty years after the incident, in 2014, a trial court in Delhi delivered its verdict convicting five people who were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Out of the five convicts, three passed away and the remaining two convicts moved the High Court, stating that they were wrongly implicated in the case.
In 2015, the High Court suspended their jail sentence.
Meanwhile, the deceased minister’s family sought to intervene in the matter and moved the Supreme Court as well in this regard.
On February 11, the Supreme Court asked the Delhi High Court to hear the matter at the earliest.
Before the High Court, the minister's family reiterated that they believe that the real wrongdoers remain free and sought directions for a re-investigation to bring them to book. The two persons who were convicted in 2014 have also supported the demand for a fresh probe on the ground that they were wrongly implicated.
The Court will hear the case further next month, after the CBI files its report on its stance.
The Court added that in light of the Supreme Court’s directions to promptly finish hearing the matter, no adjournment shall be allowed.
“Considering the directions given by the Supreme Court vide order dated, 11th February 2026, no adjournment slip shall be entertained and no adjournments shall be granted,” the Court stated.
Advocates Sima Gulati and Pankaj Yadav appeared for the convicts.
Special Public Prosecutor Rajesh Kumar with advocates Mishika Pandita, Changez Khan, Siddharth Shekhar, Ajit Sharma, Kanchan, Raghav Sood and Aditya Jha appeared for CBI.
Advocates Ajit Sharma, along with Vaibhav Mishra, represented the late Minister's family. Notably, Vaibhav Mishra is LN Mishra's grandson.
[Read Order]