Legal Experts Challenge Use of CrPC Section 174 in Murder Probe

Counsel for the family, Nilesh Ojha, argued that the investigation under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code is inappropriate when the allegations involve gang rape and homicide – offences that demand a formal FIR and a criminal trial. He cited Supreme Court precedents that limit the scope of Section 174 to accidents and deaths without a cognizable complaint. The court asked the government lawyer to produce any counter‑authority that would justify the present approach, underscoring the petitioner’s constitutional right to know the truth about his daughter’s demise.