Urging the HC not to hear the PILs at the moment, Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, said that the court should not pass orders in view of the case pending before SC. (File)
Refusing to express an opinion or pass any order on two public interest litigations (PILs) seeking transfer of the Sushant Singh Rajput death case to the CBI, the Bombay High Court on Friday said it was awaiting the Supreme Court order on a petition filed by actor Rhea Chakraborty, which is set to be heard on August 18.
The SC on Wednesday had directed the Maharashtra government to submit a status report in the probe after hearing Rhea’s plea seeking that the FIR registered against her by the Bihar Police – following a complaint lodged by Sushant’s family — be transferred to the Mumbai Police.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice A S Gadkari on Friday heard two pleas – a criminal PIL filed by Nagpur resident Sameet Rakesh Thakkar and another one by lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal.
The pleas sought that either a special investigation team be constituted or the case transferred to the CBI or to any other investigating agency outside Mumbai “in the interest of justice”.
Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, appearing for the Maharashtra government, submitted that the state was in the process to file a status report of its probe before the Supreme Court in a sealed cover. Urging the HC not to hear the PILs at the moment, he said that the court should not pass orders in view of the case pending before SC.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that based on the recommendation of the Bihar government, the Union government had issued a notification, following which the CBI had filed an FIR in the case.
He added it was in everyone’s interest that CBI takes over the case. “To unearth the truth, Mumbai Police should not stand in a way of entrustment of the case to CBI.” Singh also objected to a Bihar cadre IPS officer being quarantined in Mumbai, stating that four other police officers from the state were not subject to such a treatment.