The Gujarat High Court has dismissed the appeal of Vithal Pandya, father of Gujarat's former Home Minister Haren Pandya, demanding re-investigation and re-trial in his son's murder case.

A petition filed in December last year said the Central Bureau of Investigation did not thoroughly probe the case and acted merely on tips provided by the local police.

Claiming that the investigation carried out by the CBI was just an eyewash, the victim's father sought a fresh investigation and re-trial.

A division bench comprising of Justice J R Vora and Justice M R Shah dismissed the appeal on the ground that it did not stand any merit.

Haren Pandya was killed on March 26, 2003 in the Law Garden area of the city while he was out for a morning walk.

After investigations, the CBI held 18 persons responsible for the crime and nabbed 12 of them, who were convicted by a POTA court. Nine of them were sentenced to jail for life, two for seven years and one for five years.