Delhi HC Transfers 2017 Death Case to CBI, Cites Police Probe Lapses

The Delhi High Court on Thursday sharply criticized the Delhi Police for conducting a “lackadaisical” and “myopic” investigation into the 2017 death of 23-year-old hotel manager Arnav Duggal and transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a fresh probe. Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, while allowing a petition filed by Duggal’s mother, directed the CBI not only to reinvestigate the circumstances of the death but also to inquire into alleged lapses by Delhi Police officers across three separate probes that consistently concluded it was suicide.

Arnav Duggal was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a flat on October 26, 2017. The only person present was a woman with whom he was allegedly in a relationship. Despite the mother’s repeated assertions that her son showed no suicidal tendencies and had no history of depression, the local police, Crime Branch, and a subsequent Special Investigation Team all accepted the suicide theory almost entirely on the woman’s version without exploring possible abetment or foul play. The court noted that investigators failed to establish any motive for suicide or examine whether ingredients of Section 306 IPC (abetment to suicide) existed.

The bench observed that while the medical cause of death—asphyxia due to antemortem hanging—was clear, the “reason” for suicide remained completely unexplained. “Though the ‘cause of death’ may be ascertained… what is glaringly lacking is the ‘reason’ for death by suicide,” the court said, adding that the police mechanically relied on the woman’s statement without applying “investigative, analytical, or scientific” scrutiny to surrounding circumstances.

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Describing the repeated probes as little more than “parroting” the same narrative, Justice Gedela said the investigations lacked bona fides and appeared predetermined to treat the case as suicide. The court also expressed concern that no officer had independently seen the body in the hanging position, yet the theory was never questioned. The CBI has been directed to submit a status report within three months.

The transfer to CBI marks a significant victory for Duggal’s mother, who has maintained for eight years that her son’s death was not suicide. The court’s scathing observations have once again highlighted serious deficiencies in the Delhi Police’s handling of suspicious death cases.

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