Allahabad HC Reopens Hearing on Akanksha Dubey Death Case, Seeks Replies From Accused

The Allahabad High Court on Friday reopened hearings in the high-profile Akanksha Dubey death case and issued notices to Bhojpuri singer-actor Samarjeet Singh alias Samar Singh and his brother Sanjay Singh on a petition seeking a CBI investigation into the actress’s death. The court fixed May 22 as the next date of hearing after observing that fresh arguments on certain points were necessary before delivering its verdict.

A division bench of Justices Sidharth and Vinai Kumar Dwivedi had earlier reserved its order on May 4 after hearing arguments from the petitioner, the state government, and counsel representing the CBI. However, during Friday’s proceedings, the bench decided that some additional aspects required reconsideration before a final order could be passed.

Akanksha Dubey’s mother, Madhu Dubey , has alleged that her daughter was murdered and has challenged the Varanasi police investigation , which concluded that the actress died by suicide. Her petition has sought either a CBI or SIT probe , claiming that crucial evidence and circumstances surrounding the death were ignored during the initial investigation.

The Bhojpuri actress was found dead in a hotel room in Sarnath, Varanasi, on March 26, 2023. Reports said no suicide note was recovered from the room, while a viral Instagram Live video recorded before her death had triggered widespread public outrage and speculation. Police had earlier registered a case of abetment to suicide against Samar Singh and Sanjay Singh, and a chargesheet was later filed against them. Both accused are currently out on bail.

The High Court also directed the Station House Officer of Sarnath police station to file a counter affidavit before the next hearing and warned that failure to do so would require his personal appearance in court on May 22. The Varanasi Police Commissioner has also been directed to ensure compliance with the order.