The Centre accepted Bihar government’s plea to transfer the case of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death from Mumbai Police to CBI for probe.
The move comes after Sushant’s father KK Singh filed an FIR against the actor’s girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakraborty, accusing her of abetting suicide.
Rhea filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the FIR from Patna to Mumbai, on the grounds of jurisdiction.
A team of Bihar police also reached Mumbai to conduct an independent investigation.
Sushant, who hails from Purnea, was found hanging at his Bandra apartment in Mumbai on June 14 following which the city police started its probe.
The war of police forces between two states led to political parties and Chief Ministers locking horns, and trying to prove their efficiency to solve the case.
The Maharashtra government also filed a caveat in the apex court prior to the hearing on Wednesday, opposing the transfer of the probe to CBI.
However, the Supreme Court pulled up the state government putting Bihar's IPS officer Vinay Tiwari in quarantine.
"It doesn't give the right message. He was there to do his job. You must do everything in a professional manner," the bench said.
Bihar Poice IPS officer Vinay Tiwari who has been tasked with heading the probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case by DGP Gupteshwar Pandey had been quarantined by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation hours after he arrived in Mumbai to expedite the investigation.
BMC said that he had been "quarantined as per existing norms in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic".
The P/SouthWard administration received information of the officer arriving at the SRPF Group 8 guesthouse in Goregaon east and a BMC team went to meet him.
"Being a domestic air traveller, he needs to be guided for home quarantine as per the State government guidelines. Accordingly, the P/South ward team approached him at the said guest house late on Sunday evening," the official said.
The official said that the BMC team explained to him the whole procedure for domestic air travellers, including "home quarantine", which is fixed by the State government notification dated 25 May, 2020 under number DMU/2020/CR. 92/DisM-1.
"He has also been guided to apply to the competent authority of BMC for exemption in the home quarantine period as per the State government notification," the official said, with the prospects of Tiwari remaining isolated till around Aug. 15.
The bench further added, "A gifted and talented artist has passed away in circumstances which are unusual. This was very unfortunate. Now, the circumstances in which this death took place needs to be inquired into.”
The apex court has directed all parties to file their respective replies within three days. Further hearing in the matter to be held after a week.
