After CM Uddhav withdraws CBI's consent to probe in Maharashtra, BJP makes case demand

BJP MLA Ram Kadam has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanding the transfer of Palghar mob lynching case to the CBI as there is "no satisfactory development", his letter coming the morning after the CM withdrew general consent for the CBI to probe cases in Maharashtra. The CM's decision on the CBI had come a day after Republic Media Network had broken news of the central investigative agency registering a case in the alleged TRP scam in which the Mumbai Police Commissioner has attempted to implicate Republic TV, with Param Bir Singh's lies being thoroughly exposed. 

"This is to bring to your notice that more than six months have elapsed since the occurrence of the horrifying lynching incident against sadhus at Palghar. There has been no significant development with respect to the investigation and the main culprits are yet given a free run," Kadam wrote in the letter.

'Hand over the case to CBI for a more competent probe'

"Such kind of incidents are basically an attack on Hindu sadhus on the land of Maharashtra, which cannot be tolerated, at any cost and has sparked off a national outrage amongst people. My kind request is to hand over the Palghar case to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a more competent and fair probe in this sensitive case," he said.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government had filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court and opposed the transfer of the Palghar lynching case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

On Wednesday evening, the Maharashtra government withdrew its consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe cases in the state. The move implies that the CBI will not have general consent, accorded by the Maharashtra government by an order on February 22, 1989, to exercise its powers and jurisdiction in the state and will have to get the state governments permission to probe any matter.

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Maharashtra Government took the suspicious decision under 24 hours after the CBI registered a case on Tuesday to probe the allegations of TRP manipulation against unknown individuals. While the FIR was originally registered at the Hazratganj Police station in Lucknow reportedly on the complaint of an advertising company promoter, the Uttar Pradesh government recommended the transfer of the case to the CBI.

Sources revealed that CBI's intervention was necessary as the investigation involved the jurisdiction of several states. The Special Crime Branch of the agency will deal with this case and its officials have left for Lucknow. Earlier this year, the Sushant Singh Rajput death case was being probed by Mumbai Police. However, the investigation into the case was later handed over to the CBI based on an FIR registered by the actor's father in Patna. According to sources, if the CBI wants to probe any matter, it will have to approach the state government for its consent.

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