THE GUJARAT High Court (HC) has directed the state government to file a further investigation report into the circumstances under which a 23-year-old UPSC aspirant had been seen walking naked on a road shortly before his death, observing that the issue requires closer scrutiny before it proceeds with hearing his family’s plea for a CBI investigation.Hearing a petition filed by the man’s father, Justice M R Mengdey of the Gujarat HC on Tuesday accepted the state’s request to grant time to the investigating officer to submit an additional report specifically addressing the circumstances in which the man had been found roaming naked on a road on March 3, 2025. His dead body was recovered on March 9 on an overbridge on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway and an FIR registered at the local police station on an accidental death.Justice Mengdey orally asked the Public Prosecutor to explain if there was any animosity between the deceased and the accused, why the deceased and his father had visited the house of the suspects and what transpired during the visit as well as a detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to CCTV footage that showed the man naked on the streets.In an oral order, the court said, “At the request of learned Public Prosecutor to enable the Investigating Officer to submit further report on the aspect of the circumstances under which the man got naked and was roaming on the road …, (stand over) 25.08.2026.”The Gujarat HC is hearing a petition filed by the man’s seeking to transfer investigation in the FIR lodged on March 9, 2025 under Sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for 106(1) (causing death by negligence), 125 (endangering life or personal safety of others), 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) as well as the Motor Vehicle Act. As per the petition before the HC, the father of the deceased has “raised doubt that his son was murdered” as he was missing since March 2. The petitioner had approached the police giving details of the incident on March 5.The petition alleges that a former MLA and his son were involved in the matter and accuses the local police of protecting them. The family has sought transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).According to the petitioner, the UPSC aspirant went missing on March 2, 2025, after allegedly being assaulted at the residence of one of the accused. He had left home wearing a grey T-shirt and blue trousers. The family contends that CCTV footage later showed him walking naked on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway. Later, in another CCTV clip, he was seen wearing different clothes, while the clothes he had originally worn were never recovered.Story continues below this adThe petition also questions how he could have travelled nearly 52 km overnight without carrying his mobile phone, alleges that several vehicles were seen following him while he was naked and claims the injuries recorded during the post-mortem examination are “inconsistent with a road accident”.The state has previously informed the HC in December 2025 that an investigation had been conducted on the technical aspects of the case, including a Call Detail Record (CDR) and narco analysis as well as statements of witnesses in the three cases – a missing complaint filed by the man’s family, a complaint submitted to the police station regarding the suspicion against 11 persons, including the former MLA’s son, as well as a complaint of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the driver of the luxury bus by which the man is alleged to have been run over.The state also informed the court that a narco test was conducted on the former MLA’s son on December 11 last year, following permission received from the Rajkot court, with a set of 31 questions and the result of the narco test “was not in favour of the prosecution”. Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). 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