The NCP and Congress, which are part of the Shiv Sena-led coalition government in Maharashtra, are pushing Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to order a fresh probe into the death of special CBI court judge B.H. Loya in 2014.
Loya had been hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case in which current Home Minister Amit Shah was one of the accused. After Loya's death, purportedly from a heart attack, Shah was acquitted from the case by the new judge.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar told a media organisation that the "truth" about Loya's death must come out. "If there is something, fresh investigations must be carried out...," Pawar had said.
On December 2, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted that with a non-BJP government in Maharashtra, "Why can't the Govt set up a SIT who can investigate under the directions of an independent judicial commission which the Govt can set up in a certain time frame." Singh tweeted a media article about Loya's sister claiming he had been offered Rs 100 crore for a favourable verdict in the case.
Koregaon-Bhima
NCP leader and MLA Dhananjay Munde has sought withdrawal of cases related to the Koregaon-Bhima violence in Pune in early 2018, a demand that comes days after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced dropping of cases against Nanar refinery and Aarey Metro car shed protesters.
also read
- Lok Sabha polls 2024 phase 2: Maharashtra gears up for Sena vs Sena contest in three seats | Details
- Uddhav defends 'patriot' invocation instead of 'Hindu' one at INDIA alliance rally
- Uddhav's close aide MLA Ravindra Waikar joins Shinde-led Shiv Sena
- Uddhav faction moves SC against Speaker's order declaring Shinde group as real Shiv Sena
- Shinde faction is real Shiv Sena, rules Maharashtra Speaker; Uddhav Thackeray to move SC
In his letter to Thackeray, Munde claimed the previous Devendra Fadnavis government had slapped "false" cases against those named in the Koregaon-Bhima episode, including social activists.
Munde said the BJP-led government had "harassed" intellectuals, activists, social workers and ordinary citizens who had raised their voice against injustice, and had labelled several of them as "urban Naxals".
"I request you to withdraw the cases," Munde said in his letter to Thackeray.
Asked about the demand to withdraw criminal cases related to the Koregaon-Bhima violence, Thackeray said, "The earlier government has already issued orders to withdraw the cases against persons facing minor criminal charges related to the Koregaon-Bhima caste riots.”
Incidentally, some of the activists arrested by the Pune Police in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima case have been accused of having links with Naxal outfits, including the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).