Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and minister in the erstwhile MVA government, Jitendra Awhad, suffered a major setback on Friday with the Supreme Court directing the police to conduct further inquiry into the case of assault filed against him in April 2020 by a Thane resident, Anant Karmuse. The apex court, however, rejected a plea for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘄𝗵𝗮𝗱'𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘂𝗽
Karmuse had pleaded before the Bombay High Court for further inquiry by the CBI but it was rejected. Now, the apex court has conceded his plea and hence a detailed and expeditious probe will be conducted into the assault case.
The SC bench of Justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar was hearing a plea filed by Karmuse, who said he was brutally assaulted by goons on April 5, 2020, allegedly at the behest of Awhad, who was then state housing minister. The Thane police had arrested Awhad but he was released on bail the same day. Karmuse had approached the SC challenging the order of the Bombay HC, which refused to hand over the probe to the CBI.
𝗩𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗸 𝗡𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆, 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗲
Karmuse, an engineer by profession, had posted a controversial morphed photo of Awhad. He alleged that Awhad sent policemen to pick him up from his Thane residence at night; they took him to the minister’s bungalow where a group of people severely attacked him. Karmuse alleged that the Vartak Nagar police of Thane was not conducting the probe on the right lines because of alleged political interference.
He then moved the HC seeking a CBI probe. His petition was dismissed by the HC, following which he appealed in the SC where noted lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani appeared for him.
𝗙𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆, 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗦𝗖
The SC order reads, “Present appeal succeeds in part, the impugned judgment by the (Bombay) HC refusing to order CBI probe is upheld. Order not allowing further investigation is set aside. Further probe is to be carried out expeditiously and a report placed before the trial court in accordance with law and the accused be tried on merits.”
The police department is now under Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, which had earlier accused the MVA government of not conducting a proper inquiry since one of its ministers was allegedly involved.
