Najeeb Ahmed missing case: Delhi High Court seeks response of 9 JNU students for polygraphy tests

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NEW DELHI: Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of nine Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students following a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea for polygraphy tests in connection with the case of missing student Najeeb Ahmed.

The court also allowed CBI's plea seeking an advanced hearing on its application on lie detector test. 

On October 16, the investigative agency approached the court seeking an early hearing of its plea asking consent of the suspected students for a polygraph test. The application was moved by the agency on the direction of the Delhi High Court for an early hearing of the plea, which has now been adjourned to January 24, 2018.

Last week, seven students had appeared before Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat in pursuance to summons issued against them while the remaining two were represented by their counsel.

The court had earlier rapped the investigative agency stating that "there is complete lack of interest" on the CBI's part in probing the case. 

Najeeb Ahmed, first-year MSc Biotechnology student at JNU, has been missing from the campus since October 16, 2016. The 27-year-old mysteriously disappeared after an alleged altercation with few ABVP activists at his JNU hostel. 

The ABVP activists have denied any involvement in his disappearance.

On May 3, a Delhi court had quashed a police order summoning nine JNU students for recording their consent or denial for lie-detector test in the case after it noted a defect in the notice sent by the investigating officer to the students.

On May 16, the high court handed over probe of the case to the CBI.