Kerala HC directs CBI to probe 14-year-old case of missing paramilitary soldier

The court issued the order on a plea by the soldier’s father, who demanded a CBI probe to find out what happened to his son. | Photo credit: File photo

The Kerala High Court recently ordered the CBI to investigate the 14-year-old missing case of a soldier who was a gunner employed by the Tripura State Rifles, a paramilitary force.

Justice G. Girish passed the order on a petition by the soldier’s father, who demanded a CBI probe to find out what happened to his son. The peaceful sleep enjoyed by the civilian was “at the cost of the soldier’s sleepless nights, vigilance and sacrifice” and civil society had a duty to stand by the soldier protecting them if he faced a personal crisis, the court said.

Subash Chandra Bose, a native of Vengoor in Ernakulam, went missing on April 4, 2012 while returning to Guwahati from a holiday in Kerala by train. His father last saw him at Ernakulam railway station on 3 April 2012. The father received a call from his son the next day from an unknown mobile number to inform him that the train had reached Visakhapatnam and that he was not feeling well. However, on 10 April 2012, the Commandant of Tripura State Rifles informed the father that his son had not reported back to the office after his leave.

The state government said it had no objection to handing over the case to the CBI. However, the CBI argued that the court did not have local jurisdiction as Mr Bose disappeared somewhere between Visakhapatnam and Guwahati. He also claimed that after 14 years there was only a very rare possibility of tracing a missing person.

The court ruled that under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, if an offense is committed during a journey, the local jurisdiction of the places forming part of the journey can order an inquiry. The court observed that a premier investigating agency like the CBI is not expected to take a pessimistic view in a case like this. The court recognized that the golden hour in the case of missing persons was 48 to 72 hours. Still, he said that in cases where a paramilitary Jawan guarding the nation’s borders went missing without a trace, the court could not close the door on him when a CBI inquiry was demanded as a last resort.

Published – 04 Oct 2026 20:04 IST