A plea seeking CBI probe into the Palghar Lynching was mentioned before the mentioned before the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.
The counsel apprised the court that the state of Maharashtra has also filed an affidavit agreeing for the CBI probe.
The counsel further requested the bench if the matter could be listed and disposed that if it can be listed on Friday and disposed of. The CJI has agreed to list the case.
The case dates to April 16, 2020 where three people – two sadhus and their car driver – died during the violence that erupted in Gadchinchile village during the coronavirus-induced lockdown. A mob of villagers had stopped the victims, travelling to Gujarat in a car, and attacked them suspecting they were thieves.
The case was probed by the Palghar police initially, but subsequently transferred to the state CID-crime branch.
The horrifying lynching had shaken the collective conscience of the country, with voices emerging from several parts of the country to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to the book. Several politicians, across the political spectrum, came together to demand strict action against the culprits so that such incidents are never repeated in the future and a strong precedent is set.
Eventually, Palghar SP Gaurav Singh was sent on compulsory leave and five police personnel were suspended. Besides, 35 police officers from the local Kasa police station were also transferred as the public fury shifted towards the government for taking exemplary action against the police officers responsible for handing over the sadhus to the bloodthirsty mob.
Four days after the incident, the case was transferred to the CID, even as demands for a CBI inquiry into the matter steadily gained momentum. In fact, four separate petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court demanding CBI or NIA probe into the lynching incident.