The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to take the necessary steps to trace Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb Ahmad, who has been missing since October 2016, reported PTI. The court gave the order after examining a status report filed by the CBI in the case.

The CBI counsel, in response to the court’s question, said the report had been filed in a sealed cover because the agency did not want the names of witnesses it had examined to be revealed. The CBI said it had examined 26 persons, including JNU officials, staff, Najeeb’s friends, colleagues and anyone who might have held a grudge against him. The agency also asked for time to conclude the inquiry.

The court was hearing a plea from Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafees, who had moved the court on November 25, 2016 to trace her son. Najeeb had gone missing from the Mahi Mandavi hostel in JNU on October 15, 2016.