Supreme Court seeks Palghar lynching probe status report from Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday asked Maharashtra police to furnish within four weeks a report detailing status of investigation into lynching of two 'sadhus' of Joona Akhara along with their 30-year-old driver by a mob at Palghar on April 16 despite lockdown being in force.
A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna asked PIL petitioner Shashank Shekhar Jha to give a copy of his petition to standing counsel of Maharashtra . "Maharashtra police shall submit a report regarding status of investigation," the bench said. Jha has sought a probe headed by a retired SC Judge into the lynching case or by a SIT constituted by SC.
The two religious figures of the Akhara along with their driver were going from Mumbai to Surat to attend funeral of another religious figure. Quoting media reports, the petitioner said "their car was stopped by a mob of over 200 people while they were passing from Gadhchinchale Village, Kosa, Palghar, Maharashtra. After stopping the car, mob overturned the car and started pelting stones.This happened despite of the whole country was under lockdown since March 25."
"When no person was allowed to be out of their house and everyone has been asked to follow social distancing, gathering of so many persons at the incident spot raises a huge suspicion about the role of police," it alleged. The petitioner said that police reached the spot and took the three persons into custody but the mob pulled them out of police vehicle, mercilessly assaulted them as police looked on and murdered them using sticks, rods and knives.
"During this incident, police didn’t take any step to protect these innocent men from the mob. A video showed that one policeman pushing the 'sadhus' to the crowd when they were seeking his protection. It is tragic since Joona Akhara had historically fought against invaders to protect Kashi (Varanasi). Also, they were the first to fight British through Sannyasi Rebellion. Attack on them is more like an attack on our society as a whole and could cause social disturbance," it said.
While pleading for probe supervised by a retired Judge or by SIT/CBI, the petitioner sought a direction from the SC for "transfer of the trial from Palghar, Maharashtra to Fast Track Court of Saket Court, Delhi or any other fast track court in Delhi". The petitioner also requested the court to direct registration of FIR against erring policemen who did nothing to save the three persons from the mob.