Palghar lynching case: Fresh chargesheet to be placed on record
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Maharashtra Police to place on record the second supplementary chargesheet filed in the Palghar lynching case before it in two weeks. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and RS Reddy asked for it after the counsel for the Maharashtra government informed that a second supplementary chargesheet has been filed in the case.
Around 18 police personnel have been punished
On September 7 last year, Maharashtra Police had said as many as 18 delinquent police personnel have been awarded varying punishments; some of them have been dismissed from service and some have been compulsorily retired. The top court on August 6 last year had asked Maharashtra Police to apprise it of the inquiry and action taken against the errant police personnel in the case.
Petitions were filed seeking probes by CBI and NIA
On June 11 last year, SC had sought a response from the state government on two petitions seeking a separate probe by the CBI and the NIA into the alleged lynching. The bench was hearing petitions including the one filed by sadhus of Shri Panch Dashban Juna Akhara and relatives of the deceased seers. Their plea alleged that the state police's investigation was biased.
Further details about the petitions
The other plea, seeking an NIA probe into the incident, has been filed by advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay. Besides the Maharashtra government, one of the petitions has arrayed the Centre, CBI, and the director-general of police of Maharashtra as respondents in the matter.
Why are sadhus seeking CBI probe?
SC had on May 1 directed the Maharashtra Government to submit a status report of the investigation while hearing a separate plea seeking CBI probe. The plea filed by sadhus claimed, "Several videos have emerged on social media which show the police handing the three persons to the unlawful assembly of people." The police have arrested over 100 people in connection with the case.
What is the Palghar lynching case?
The victims, identified as Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri, Sushil Giri Maharaj, and Nilesh Telgade, were traveling from Mumbai to Surat to attend a funeral amidst the COVID-19 lockdown when their car was stopped. They were then attacked and killed by a mob in Gadchinchile village on the night of April 16 last year. The whole incident happened in the presence of the police.
