Supreme Court issues notice to Maharashtra govt on pleas seeking CBI, NIA probe in Palghar mob lynching

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked Maharashtra government and other respondents to file their response on two petitions seeking separate probes in the Palghar mob lynching incident by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, who heard the case through video conferencing, asked the respondents to file their reply on the public interest litigation (PIL).

The first plea was filed by Mahant Swami Shraddhanand Saraswati and six other sadhus of the Juna Akhara, alleged that the state police was investigating the case in a biased manner and demanded the case to be transferred to the CBI.

The other plea was filed by Ghanashyam Upadhyay, who raised concern over the mob lynching incident and sought an NIA probe in the matter.

The state government, on the other hand, opposed the pleas saying similar matters are already pending before the Bombay High Court.

On April 16, two sadhus and a driver were travelling from Mumbai's Kandivali towards Surat in Gujarat in a car to attend a funeral when they were lynched by a mob, consisting mostly of 70-80 local villagers, under suspicion that they were thieves and kidnappers.

The villagers also attacked the police personnel when they tried to stop the rampaging mob and some policemen also sustained injuries in the incident.

So far, over 130 people have been arrested in the case.