The death of 23-year-old UPSC aspirant Rajkumar Jaat has come under fresh scrutiny after investigators told the Gujarat High Court about a 51-km trail from the night he disappeared.
Rajkumar went missing in Gujarat in March 2025 and was found dead days later on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad Highway. Police initially treated his death as a road accident, while his father alleged murder and sought a CBI probe.
Now, investigators have placed new details about Rajkumar’s movements before the court. The evidence raises a crucial question: what happened during those 51 kilometres before he was found dead?
Rajkumar Jaat Went Missing In March 2025
Rajkumar, who was preparing for the civil services examination, went missing in the early hours of 2 March 2025.
His father, Ratanlal Jaat, approached the Gondal police on 5 March and reported him missing.
On 9 March, Rajkumar’s body was found near an overbridge at Targadhia on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad Highway.
Police investigated the death as a road accident. The FIR registered by Kuvadava Road police included provisions concerning causing death by negligence, rash driving and endangering life, along with provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Rajkumar’s father did not accept the accident theory. He alleged that his son had been murdered and later moved the Gujarat High Court seeking a CBI probe. These remain allegations made by the family and have not been established as facts by the court.
The 51-Km CCTV Trail
The latest hearing focused heavily on Rajkumar’s movements before his death.
The Gujarat government told the High Court that investigators had recovered CCTV footage from 21 different locations along the route between where Rajkumar was last seen and where his body was recovered.
According to the state, the footage showed Rajkumar walking alone.
The distance between the two locations was around 51 km. Investigators estimated that the journey took approximately 11 hours and 29 minutes.
That raised a straightforward question: could he have covered that distance on foot?
The state relied on a general expert assessment that a healthy adult could ordinarily walk at around 4 km per hour.
At that pace, the state argued, a person could theoretically cover about 64 km in 11 hours and 29 minutes. It therefore told the court that a 51-km walk was not inherently impossible.
But the prosecutor also made an important qualification. The estimate was general and was not a definitive calculation for Rajkumar specifically.
Why Were His Clothes Missing?
This is one of the biggest unresolved questions in the case.
During the hearing, the state showed a purported video recovered during the investigation. According to the state, the footage allegedly showed Rajkumar removing his remaining clothes before continuing his walk.
Investigators also told the court that they had found several videos on Rajkumar’s mobile phone in which he allegedly displayed similar behaviour.
The state said these videos had been sent to an expert for an opinion on whether his behaviour could indicate that he was under the influence of an intoxicating substance.
However, investigators have not established that Rajkumar had consumed an intoxicant.
The state also said it had not established, if he had consumed one, where he could have obtained it.
There is another missing piece.
Rajkumar’s family has said that he left home wearing blue jeans and a light-blue shirt. According to the family’s lawyer, those clothes have not been recovered.
The lawyer also raised questions about photographs that, according to the petitioner, appeared to show Rajkumar being called towards a car.
The family has suggested that the vehicle could be relevant to the case. However, this is an allegation raised before the court and is not an established finding against the vehicle or its occupants.
What Does The Police Investigation Say?
The state has told the High Court that investigators examined CCTV footage, technical evidence and witness statements.
The investigation also included a narco-analysis of Ganesh Gondal, whose name had been raised by Rajkumar’s family in connection with the case.
The state has informed the High Court that the result of that narco-analysis was not favourable to the prosecution.
The latest report also came after the High Court had asked for a closer examination of how Rajkumar came to be walking without clothes before his death.
Importantly, the CCTV footage does not by itself establish why Rajkumar was walking, whether he was under the influence of any substance, or what happened immediately before his death.
Those questions remain part of the investigation and court proceedings.
What Is The Legal Status Of The Case?
The matter remains before the Gujarat High Court.
Rajkumar’s father has continued to seek a CBI investigation, while the state has defended the investigation carried out by its agencies.
The High Court is examining the material placed before it, including the latest CCTV evidence and the state’s explanation of Rajkumar’s movements.
The court is expected to hear the matter next on 24 September 2026.
For now, the latest investigation offers a possible reconstruction of Rajkumar’s final hours, but it does not provide a complete answer to how he died.
The 51-km CCTV trail, the missing clothes and the circumstances surrounding his final movements remain central to the questions before the court.
TL;DR | News At a Glance
What happened to Rajkumar Jaat?
The 23-year-old UPSC aspirant went missing in Gujarat on 2 March 2025. His body was found near Targadhia on 9 March.
Why is his death disputed?
Police initially investigated it as a road accident. His father alleged murder and sought a CBI probe.
What is the 51-km claim?
The state told the Gujarat High Court that CCTV footage from 21 locations allegedly showed Rajkumar walking alone along a route of around 51 km.
What happened to his clothes?
The state presented a purported video allegedly showing Rajkumar removing his remaining clothes. His family says the blue jeans and light-blue shirt he was wearing when he left home have not been recovered.
Was he under the influence of drugs?
The state said investigators sought an expert opinion based on videos showing similar behaviour. However, it has not been established that Rajkumar consumed an intoxicant.
What happens next?
The Gujarat High Court is continuing to examine the case. The next hearing is scheduled for 24 September 2026.
