Palghar lynching: SC asks Maha police to submit fresh charge sheet

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Maharashtra police to submit the second supplementary charge sheet in the alleged lynching of two seers and another person in Palghar in April last year.

The counsel for Maharashtra government submitted before a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and R S Reddy that a second supplementary charge sheet has been filed in the case. The bench directed the fresh charge sheet should be brought on record and scheduled the matter for further hearing after two weeks.

In October last year, the Maharashtra government had informed the Supreme Court that it has taken action against the erring policemen in the case.

The state government counsel had submitted that action taken by the state has been placed on record before the court, and cited the affidavit filed last month.

In the affidavit, Maharashtra had told the top court that action, ranging from dismissal from service to salary cuts, has been taken against 18 personnel.

The state government counsel informed the bench that a charge sheet has been filed in the case and action has also been taken against the policemen.

In the affidavit, the Maharashtra police had said 18 policemen have been given varied punishments and some of them have also been dismissed from service. Also, some of them have been made to compulsory retire. “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, Konkan range has issued final orders on August 21 imposing punishment upon the delinquent police personnel…,” the affidavit said.

The victims identified as Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri, 70, Sushil Giri Maharaj, 35, and Nilesh Telgade, 30, who was driving the vehicle, were travelling from Mumbai in a car to attend a funeral at Surat in Gujarat amid the lockdown. They were attacked and killed by a mob in Gadchinchile village on April 16 in the presence of police. A PIL was filed by advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha seeking CBI probe into the case.