Palghar lynching: SC asks Maha govt to present charge sheets before it

SC seeks info on action against police personnel

The Supreme Court on Thursday told the Maharashtra government to bring on record the charge sheets filed in connection with the case of mob lynching of two Hindu seers and their driver at Palghar on April 16.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and R Subhash Reddy also sought to know the action taken against police personnel accused of handing over the victims to the mob.

The court decided to go through the charge sheets against those who formed a mob of over 100 people to kill the victims, from Juna Akhara.

During the hearing, the Maharashtra government said that two charge sheets have already been filed in the case. A third one would also be filed for the offence of attacking policemen.

The court was hearing a batch of petitions including those by Mahant Shraddhanand Saraswati of Panchdasnam of Juna Akhara and family members of the two deceased through advocates Balaji Srinivasan and Ashutosh Lohia, for a CBI probe into the matter.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, suggested filing the charge sheets before the top court as well for its perusal.

Counsel for petitioners advocates Ghanshyam Upadhyay and Shashank Shekhar Jha contended that so far no action has been taken against the policemen. One of them apprehended that Sadhus would continue to be killed in Maharashtra, unless a central agency like the NIA was called in to probe the Palghar incident.

The court decided to consider the matter after three weeks.

In its latest affidavit, filed on July 31 on behalf of state DGP, the state police pointed out that the Maharashtra's CID has so far filed two charge sheets and the third was in the process of being filed against the 47 accused.

It also pointed out after departmental enquiry, five police personnel have been suspended and show cause notices issued against 18 of them including 13 from the riots control unit.

Meanwhile, the petitioner from Juna Akhara sought a direction from the top court to stay proceedings in as many as six PILs filed in the Bombay High Court in the case till the present matter was being examined here.

He also pointed out that the Maharashtra government sought dismissal of the present matter in the Supreme Court due to pendency of six PILs before the High Court. However, before the High Court, the state government sought adjournment on the ground that the present case was pending before the top court.