New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought replies on a plea seeking probe by the CBI into the alleged murders of three members of a Dalit family in Madhya Pradesh. A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Aravind Kumar agreed to hear the matter and issued notices to the state and the CBI for their replies on the plea by a woman, who alleged her son, daughter and brother-in-law were killed.
The petition alleged a former home minister of the state, who is currently an MLA, was influencing and threatening witnesses in the case. "One after the other, three members of a family were killed with the police extending full assistance to the accused persons only because the former state home minister and his group was behind the killings. Resultantly, no prosecution of the accused persons is possible in the state of Madhya Pradesh," the plea claimed.
Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves and advocate Meenesh Dubey appeared for the petitioner in the apex court. The petitioner alleged that an FIR was lodged in January 2019 in Sagar district on a complaint by her daughter, who was 15. She alleged she was beaten up and molested by some persons in her village.
The plea claimed none of the sections regarding molestation or under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act were invoked against the accused showing police bias. It alleged the complainant's brother was killed by the same group of persons who molested her and an FIR was lodged in this regard in August, 2023.
The plea said in May last year, the complainant's uncle, who was one of the eye witnesses to the killing, was murdered by the persons belonging to the same group and a separate FIR was lodged in this regard. It alleged when she was coming back with the mortal remains of her uncle on May 26, 2024, she was killed by the police while travelling in the ambulance.
The plea said the facts and circumstances surrounding the case make it suitable for a CBI investigation consisting of officers from outside of Madhya Pradesh.
"The accused individuals are politically influential. The primary accused the former home minister of Madhya Pradesh and the current MLA of Sagar, has repeatedly interfered in the investigation. They have influenced and threatened witnesses while preventing the police authorities from conducting a fair inquiry," it claimed.
The petitioner said since the 2019 FIR was registered, her entire family was subjected to constant pressure and intimidation. It has sought a direction to the CBI to constitute a team of officers from outside Madhya Pradesh to take over the investigation and prosecution of those engaged in these murders and the criminal intimidation of the entire family.
The plea has also sought transfer of the investigation and prosecution in respect of these FIRs from Madhya Pradesh to Delhi so the entire proceedings could be conducted in an independent and fair manner. It sought police protection for the family members and sought the CBI or a special investigation team to register an FIR with respect to the murder of the woman who was travelling in the ambulance with the police.
