Palghar case: Supreme Court said it would hear the case in the second week of July
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court sent a notice to the government of Maharashtra, the CBI and the center after the families of two sadhus killed by a crowd in Palghar district in April demanded an investigation by the central agency. The superior court told them to respond within two weeks.
The two sadhus and their driver were killed on the night of April 16, amid the coronavirus shutdown, after rumors spread that they were abducting children to harvest organs, including kidneys.
Relatives of the two sadhus told the higher court that they had no confidence in the Maharashtra police investigation.
The petitioners have stated that the handling of the case has created a religious bias and that, in these circumstances, only an independent investigation by a central agency would do justice. Lawyer Balaji Srinivasan, who appeared for the petitioners, said that witnesses reportedly committed suicide, which indicates that the investigation into the lynching of the crowd is not on track.
Another petitioner expressed concern about the possible destruction of evidence and requested an investigation by the National Investigation Agency.
The Maharashtra government opposed the applications to the Supreme Court on the grounds that similar applications were pending before the Bombay High Court.
A bench led by judge Ashok Bhushan at the videoconference hearing then declared that he would resume the case during the second week of July.
The Palghar incident pitted former BJP allies against Shiv Sena of Maharashtra at a time when the nation was fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
The older of the two sadhus, 70, was seen on visuals holding onto a police officer as the crowd attacked him with sticks and rain. The police outnumbered the crowd which had formed in violation of the lock orders. A rescue team would have taken a long time to reach because some parts of the road also had a ghat section.
More than 100 people have been arrested.
