Palghar Sadhu Lynching Case: Petitioners tell SC that case can be disposed of as Maharashtra Govt agrees to CBI probe

On March 20, the Supreme Court (SC) bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narsimha and Justice JB Pardiwala agreed to list for hearing pleas seeking the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Palghar mob lynching case.

The petitioners informed the SC that the Maharashtra Government has agreed to a CBI probe in the case, and therefore, the plea could be disposed of. The petitioner’s counsel said, “We had filed this for CBI enquiry in Palghar killings. State has also filed an affidavit agreeing for CBI enquiry. According to us it can be disposed on Friday or Monday,” Live Law reported.

On the night of April 16, 2020, two Hindu sadhus and their driver were travelling from Kandivali in Mumbai to attend a funeral in Gujarat’s Surat amid the nationwide lockdown when their vehicle was stopped, and they were attacked and killed by a mob in Gadchinchile village of Palghar in the presence of police officers.

It is pertinent to note that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Government opposed the plea for a CBI probe in 2020. The Uddhav Thackeray Government told the SC that the investigation had been completed, chargesheets had been filed against 252 persons, and guilty police officials had been punished or suspended from services.

On June 30, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took the oath and formed the government in alliance with the BJP after Uddhav Thackeray was forced to step down following a rebellion of Shiv Sena legislators under Eknath Shinde’s leadership.

Eknath Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray, claiming that the latter distanced themselves from Balasaheb’s Hindutva after forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government with Congress and NCP.

However, the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government submitted an affidavit on October 11, 2022, agreeing to a CBI probe of the incident. The affidavit said, “The State of Maharashtra is ready and willing to hand over the investigation in C.R. No. 76/2020 and C.R. No. 77/2020 to the CBI and would have no objection for the same.”