SC slams Mumbai Police quarantining Sushant case IPS officer; Centre to be made party

The Supreme Court while hearing actor Rhea Chakraborty's petition seeking direction for the transfer of investigation from Patna to Mumbai in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case questioned the Mumbai Police regarding the treatment meted out to the Bihar Police team that arrived to probe the case. Justice Hrishikesh Roy said that the decision of Mumbai Police in which it quarantined IPS officer Vinay Tiwari from Patna "doesn’t send a good message" 

'Does it send a good message?'

"The quarantining of the Bihar police does not send a good message. The confinement .. does it send a good message? Especially when the case has garnered so much media attention? The state of Maharashtra has to ensure that everything is done in a professional way," Justice Roy said. 

This came amid Sushant's family via lawyer Vikas Singh accusing the Mumbai Police of destroying evidence in the matter, and appealing against any further delay in the probe.  Following this, Justice Roy asked for the Mumbai Police's findings in the probe on record, to take care of the family's suspicions against the force.

SG Mehta at this point asked for the Centre to be made party to the proceedings, in response to which Justice Roy to file an application to do so. Tushar Mehta also said that the CBI's notification for its investigation is expected to be out by the end of the day on Wednesday. He has begun the hearing by saying that the CBI has accepted the probe, as requested by the Bihar police.

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In its order, the Supreme Court gave the Mumbai Police 3 days to place all its evidence in the Sushant death case probe on record, and declined to offer protection to Rhea Chakraborty following a request from her lawyer. The matter will be taken up for hearing again next week.

Sushant Singh Rajput's family's lawyer Vikas Singh opposed Rhea Chakraborty’s plea for a protective order in her favour. Vikas Singh also sought the apex court's direction to pass orders to Maharashtra Police to co-operate with Bihar Police. "The Maharashtra police is not cooperating with the Bihar Police," Singh said.

Maharashtra government's counsel R Basant pleaded that no direction is necessary in this regard in the case. An FIR was filed by the Patna Police against Chakraborty on a complaint filed by KK Singh, father of the late actor, under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including abetment of suicide.

A team of Bihar Police is in Mumbai to probe the case. Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. According to Mumbai Police, the statements of 56 people have been recorded till now in connection with the case, including Rajput's family, his domestic help and several industry persons

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(With ANI inputs)