Mumbai: The Maharashtra State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) agreed to transfer investigation papers related to the Akshay Shinde encounter case to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday, responding to the Bombay High Court's criticism over its previous non-compliance with court orders.
This decision followed a report from Lakhmi Gautam, joint commissioner of police, who stated that the CID had been reluctant to share the documents despite a clear directive from the court. Akshay Shinde, 24, who was accused in a sexual assault case involving young girls, was shot dead by Thane police on September 23, 2024, shortly after his arrest for the allegations.
On April 7, the court had established the SIT for the investigation and required the State CID to hand over all pertinent files, enabling the SIT to register an FIR and commence inquiries. However, with the CID's failure to comply, the court summoned Gautam and senior CID officials to explain themselves.
During Friday’s proceedings, the judges expressed frustration regarding the delay and questioned the CID's motivations for not meeting the orders. They emphasised that the transfer of documents should have been promptly executed and criticized the SIT for not updating the court about the CID's inaction.
Public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar mentioned that the CID was considering a challenge to the April 7 order in the Supreme Court, although the judges clarified that this did not pause the court’s directive. The Additional Director General of Police assured immediate compliance, and the matter is set for further hearing on Wednesday.
