The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the formation of a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder allegations against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Madhya Pradesh MLA Arvind Pateriya involving the driver of the rival Congress candidate in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant directed the Director General of Police (DGP) Madhya Pradesh to set up the three-member Special Investigation Committee within two days headed by a senior IPS officer of Parliamentary cadre (not below the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police) and two other officers not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
The order was passed on a petition filed by Rajya Ali, wife of deceased driver Salman Khan, who was killed in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly elections in the state. Khan was serving as then Congress MLA Kunwar Vikram Singh from Rajnagar constituency in Chhatarpur district. Khan was allegedly run over by a car linked to Patria.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing Khan’s widow, has sought transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or any independent SIT team expressing dissatisfaction with the ongoing investigation. He pointed out that five eyewitnesses provided their testimonies containing a clear description of the incident that occurred on November 17, 2023.
These allegations were refuted by the state, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, who said that a counter case had also been filed against the former Congress MLA alleging that shots were fired at Patria’s convoy following which a case of attempt to murder was registered on the complaint of BJP leader Neeraj Chaturvedi.
The court ordered the special investigation team to complete the investigation within two months by reviewing eyewitness statements. The court ordered the special investigation team to take over the case records from the state police and proceed “without affecting” the investigation already conducted in the matter. It also directed the special court to consider eyewitness statements and the other side’s narrative in an “neutral” manner before submitting the final investigation report before the court concerned.
