Overview
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has recommended that the CBI re-examine the 2022 murder after Ankita Bhandari’s parents sought a probe focused on the alleged ‘VIP’ angle under a Supreme Court judge’s supervision.
- A fresh FIR was registered in Dehradun on a complaint by Padma Bhushan awardee Anil Prakash Joshi to identify the purported ‘VIPs’, with police saying further action will proceed on this case.
- Under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, the CBI cannot take over until the Centre’s Department of Personnel & Training issues a notification authorising the investigation.
- A statewide bandh and continuing protests pressed for judicial oversight and a fixed timeline, while police deployed additional forces and opposition parties backed the demands.
- Three men, including resort owner Pulkit Arya, were convicted and given life terms in May 2025, but critics cite gaps such as the missing phone and the resort’s demolition, and a BJP leader named in viral clips has denied involvement and filed defamation cases.