A special CBI court in Lucknow has accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation’s closure report in the Raja Bhaiya Murder Case, linked to the 2013 killing of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zia-ul-Haq in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The court found that there was not enough oral or documentary evidence to proceed against former Uttar Pradesh minister and Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh, popularly known as Raja Bhaiya, and four other accused. Key HighlightsDSP Zia-ul-Haq was killed in Balipur village in March 2013.His wife Parveen Azad had accused Raja Bhaiya and four others in the FIR.The CBI conducted a fresh investigation and again filed a closure report.The special CBI court has now accepted the report and closed proceedings against the named accused. Who Is Raja Bhaiya?Raghuraj Pratap Singh, widely known as Raja Bhaiya, is a Uttar Pradesh politician from Pratapgarh. He represents the Kunda Assembly constituency and has been an MLA from the seat since 1993, according to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly profile. He has also served as a minister in different Uttar Pradesh governments. Singh later founded the Jansatta Dal Loktantrik party. His political career has largely been centred around Kunda and Pratapgarh.What Was Raja Bhaiya’s Connection With DSP Zia-ul-Haq?DSP Zia-ul-Haq was posted as the Circle Officer of Kunda in Pratapgarh in 2013. This is the main connection between the two men in the case: Raja Bhaiya was the local MLA and was serving as a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, while Haque was the senior police officer responsible for the Kunda area. "On March 2, 2013, village pradhan Nanhey Yadav was killed in Balipur village. Violence followed the killing. Haque went to the village amid the unrest and was later attacked and beaten to death. "Why Was Raja Bhaiya Named in the Case?After the officer’s death, his wife Parveen Azad filed an FIR alleging that Raja Bhaiya and four others were involved in a conspiracy connected with the killing. The named individuals included Gulshan Yadav, Hari Om Srivastava, Rohit Singh and Guddu Singh. The allegations were investigated by the CBI. The agency initially submitted a closure report, but Azad challenged it through a protest petition. A local court later ordered further investigation, leading to additional proceedings in the case.What Happened to the Other Accused?"The murder case also resulted in a separate prosecution against other accused persons. In October 2024, a special CBI court sentenced 10 people to life imprisonment for their role in the killing of DSP Zia-ul-Haq."The proceedings involving Raja Bhaiya and the four people named with him followed a separate legal track.Why Has the Case Been Closed Again?After a fresh investigation, the CBI submitted another closure report concerning Raja Bhaiya and the four other named accused. The special CBI court accepted the report after examining the investigation material and hearing the parties.The court found that the material on record did not provide sufficient oral or documentary evidence to establish their involvement or justify taking further legal action against them. The development marks the second unsuccessful attempt by the slain officer’s family to reopen prosecution against Raja Bhaiya. The court’s acceptance of the CBI closure report means the proceedings against him in this particular 2013 murder case have been closed at this stage.
