A one-judge bench in India has given its Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kenyan authorities a three-week ultimatum to give details on the whereabouts of journalist Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan.
The journalist who disappeared in Westlands, Nairobi on July 23, 2022, had been working with a digital media team allied to President William Ruto.
Justice Subramonium Prasad made the ruling after the journalist’s sister claimed that the journalist was being detained in Kenya.
“Notice was issued on July 12. The status report has yet not been filed. Let the status report be positively filed within three weeks,” the judge ruled.
The case will be heard again on September 4, where a report will be given to the court on the status of the investigations.
The Judge ordered the Ministry of External Affairs and all other relevant authorities to use all possible channels to coordinate with the Kenyan authorities to ascertain the whereabouts of the petitioner’s brother.
Khan disappeared together with his brother and their driver after they were accosted by people claiming to be Kenyan police officers.
“To the best of the knowledge of the petitioner and their family, they are being detained on the authority of and on the instruction of Kenyan Local Police,” the petition filed by Khan’s sister read in part.
She further told the court that she was not sure whether the trio were still alive or not and whether they were being kept in custody.
Investigations on Khan
After President William Ruto was sworn in, investigations on the disappearance of Khan and his colleagues kicked into top gear.
The investigations saw 12 Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) officers arraigned in court.
Additionally, on October 16, Ruto disbanded DCI’s Special Service Unit stating that it it carried out extrajudicial killings and enforced differences.
Despite the earlier flurry of activities, the case caught cold and two families in India woke up every day hoping to receive a call that never came.
