Will abide by what SC rules on Sushant probe, says Maha govt

Though the Maharashtra government opposes a CBI probe in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, it will abide by the Supreme Court's decision in the matter, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Saturday.

In a significant statement, Deshmukh told media persons that the state will follow the ruling of the apex court vis-a-vis the probe into the case, but opposes a CBI investigation on grounds of jurisdiction.

"The Mumbai Police are probing the case very thoroughly and professionally. However, we shall go by what the Supreme Court says at the hearing on August 11," he said.

In the past week, Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh briefed Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, while investigating team members held discussions with officials of the Law and Judiciary Department.

The latest stand is different from the Maharashtra government's earlier stated position that there was no need to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the Mumbai Police are doing a competent job and probing it from all possible angles.

The CBI has registered an FIR based on the case lodged by Patna police on the complaint of Sushant's father, K.K. Singh.

Last week, the Mumbai Police had cold-shouldered the Patna police team which was camping in Mumbai for several days for probing the Sushant case.

On Friday, irate over his 6-day long quarantine ordered by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as he reached Mumbai to help the state police team, Patna's SP, City, Vinay Tiwari hit out at the Maharashtra government after he was released.

"I was not quarantined, but the Sushant probe was quarantined," he said, before flying back to Bihar as per Covid-19 protocols as directed by the BMC.