As per case facts the appellants' relative Deva Pardhi died due to vasovagal shock following severe custodial torture by local police with the appellants' co-relative Gangaram Pardhi being the sole ... eye-witness to the incident An FIR was registered for culpable homicide and other offences after a magisterial enquiry but no police officials were arrested for eight months while the sole witness Gangaram was continuously implicated in multiple new criminal cases and faced threats The appellants sought transfer of the custodial death investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation and bail for Gangaram leading to this appeal The question arose whether the facts of the custodial death of Deva Pardhi coupled with the alleged attempt by local police to derail the investigation and intimidate the sole eye-witness warrant the transfer of the investigation to an independent agency like the CBI Finally the Supreme Court allowed the appeal directing that the investigation into the custodial death be forthwith transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation to ensure a fair and credible investigation observing that the local police were investigating against their own personnel which invokes the principle of nemo judex in causa sua and simultaneously granted liberty to the eye-witness Gangaram Pardhi to directly move the High Court for bail urging the Court to consider the context of his multiple implications and providing for state protection

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