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SC seeks details of seers' lynching in Palghar in April
KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 8/7/2020 10:56:18 AM
NEW DELHI, Aug 6: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Maharashtra Government to file details of the inquiry against Police personnel in the lynching of two seers (Sadhus) in Palghar in April as also charge-sheets filed for the court to scan them, adjourning further hearing on August 28.
The bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and R Subhash Reddy was hearing through video-conferencing a petition filed by Mahant Shradhananad Saraswati and six other Sadhus of the Shri Panch Dashban Juna Akhara, Ghanshyam Upadhyay and the relatives of the deceased seers, seeking CBI and NIA probe into the investigation of the Palghar Lynching case alleging bias in the present investigation by the state authorities.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had suggested that the charge-sheets should be filed before the court and "let the court decide whether it’s relevant or not." He told the Court that the media reports suggest that the charge-sheets run into more than 10,000 pages. “Whether there were any policemen involved in the offence, or was there any dereliction of duty calling for disciplinary action has to be considered,” he said.
On April 16, a vigilante group lynched two Hindu Sadhus and their driver in Gadchinchale Village in Palghar District of Maharashtra. The incident was fuelled by WhatsApp rumours of thieves operating in the area during the countrywide coronavirus lockdown.
The Juna Akhara lawyer said the sadhus were virtually handed over to the mob for the "massacre.”
The Maharashtra government informed the court that two charge-sheets have already been filed with the court in the case. A third charge-sheet will be filed by Monday, relating to the attack on policemen, when they went to arrest the accused persons. It is not directly about the lynching.
On June 11, the top court had sought a response from the state government on two petitions seeking separate probes by the CBI and the NIA into the alleged lynching.
Advocate Subhash Jha said that unless the Centre looks into the matter sadhus will continue to be killed in Maharashtra. “Call in the NIA to investigate. The incident happened in April. Now it’s August and no action has been taken against any policemen.”