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New Delhi: The Maharashtra government has submitted its affidavit before the Supreme Court in the Palghar mob lynching case, opposing the transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The affidavit, filed by the state’s Assistant Inspector General of Police, said 18 policemen have been given varied punishments and some of them have also been dismissed from service or made to retire compulsorily.
The state police informed the Court that while one Assistant Police Inspector has been dismissed, another Assistant Police Sub-Inspector and one driver were compulsorily retired.
Further, the affidavit states that pay has been reduced to minimum for one Sub-Inspector, a Head Constable and another 13 constables.
“The police personnel have replied to the show-cause notices. After considering their replies to the show-cause notice and after hearing them, the Special Inspector General of Police, Konakan range has issued final orders on August 21 imposing punishment upon the delinquent police personnel…,” the affidavit said.
The affidavit reiterates that no further probe by a central agency would be needed, as the Maharashtra Police itself has imposed punishment on the erring officers.
Maharashtra Police have also sought dismissal of petitions against it in the top court with costs, citing that two charge sheets have been filed in the matter so far.
On August 6, the Supreme Court asked the Maharashtra government to produce the chargesheets filed so far in the case within three weeks.
A division bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice R Subhash Reddy expressed their intent to examine the chargesheet and asked the Maharashtra government about the action taken against the erring police officials as months have passed after the lynching incident.
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 the investigation by the state police was being conducted in a biased manner.
The other plea, seeking an NIA probe into the incident, has been filed by advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay.
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The three victims from Kandivali in Mumbai were travelling in a car to attend a funeral at Surat in Gujarat amid the Covid-19 nationwide lockdown when their vehicle was stopped and they were attacked and killed by a mob in Gadchinchile village on the night of April 16 in the presence of police.
The police arrested over 100 people in connection with the case.
– India Legal Bureau